The McGill Tribune Vol. 26 Issue 12

BLOOD DEBATE CONTINUES, PAGE 8

STAVING OFF STUDENT DEBT, PAGE 10

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Published by the Students' Society of McGill University

Volume 26 Issue 12 • November 21,2006

One year later, shooting victim remembered Family and friends return to Montreal to demand action on handguns B en D e P etrillo

Elain e Lum ley lead s a protest ag ain st gun vio len ce Satu rday at th e Roddick G ates in m em o ry o f her son Aidan.

After losing her son to hand­ gun violence last year, Elaine Lum­ ley organized a rally last Saturday to protest gun violence and try to get the perpetrators to come forward.

Her son, Aidan Lumley, a third year student atTrent University, was shot twice in the back on Nov. 27, 2005 after leaving the Luba Lounge, which has since re-opened as Vinyl Lounge, on Rue Bleury. He died be­ fore reaching the hospital and as of yet, no one has been charged with the murder.

The rally convened next to the Burnside building, near the Rod­ dick Gates. Approximately 40 peo­ ple were present, including a large number of friends of Lumley's fam­ ily, some of whom had driven from .Ontario to participate.

"Aidan is a victim of a sense­ less, senseless tragedy," Lumley said to the crowd. "It's up to us to con­ tact our prime minister and say we want a safe place for our children.

It's heartbreaking to know that the killer and his friends have no.t been charged."

One of Aidan's close friends gave a short speech and following that, the rally walked along Sher­ brooke Street to the Vinyl Lounge and stood in silence in a tight circle.

Before the rally dispersed, signs with Aidan's photograph on them were prominently placed on the building.

Elaine Lumley has been a strong advocate of gun control since her son's shooting.

"We need zero tolerance for illegal handguns and gun-related crime,"she said.

She has asked for an audi­ ence with Steven Harper to discuss methods of gun control, which has not yet been granted. Lumley said that if she were able to meet with Harper, she would ask him a simple question.

"If it was your child that was shot and killed wouldn't you want to clean up the streets?"

She has also founded the Lum­ ley Foundation, which supports gun control legislation and helps families who have been affected by See AIDAN on pag e 3

Watchdog group gives Canada 'fossil' award Ambrose faces heat at UN climate conference for environmental inaction K ristin M aich For failing to evén come close to achieving the goals laid out in the Kyoto Protocol, Canada was given its second consecutive "fossil" award by the Climate Action Network last week.

The award, reserved for those countries that'have made the least headway with regard to measures preventing climate change, is in­ tended to embarrass its recipients into action at the United Nations climate conference that has been taking place in Nairobi, Kenya over the past two weeks.

The two other fossil award recipients, the United States and Australia, are not signatories to the Kyoto treaty.

The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change commits countries that ratify the agreement to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada signed on to the Protocol in 1997, a move that both the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Parties voted against.

Those parties have since merged into the Con­ servative Party that is now in power.

In 2002, Canada ratified its commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent below its 1990 emission levels by the year 2012.

However, since 1990 emissions hâve shot up by 27 per cent.

Greening McGill's Sophie Zhang says that by signing and ratifying the Kyoto agreement

but failing to live up to its goals, Canada has placed itself in a position where it could block the conference negotiations and "ruin Kyoto for everyone."

"If we, as a prosperous country, reject Kyoto, how are we supposed to convince devel­ oping countries like China and India to get on board?" Zhang said. "Further inaction or regres­ sion cannot be tolerated. Canada has to stick to the Kyoto targets, which despite their limits and shortcomings, are commendable short­ term projects that set the stage for further in­ ternational cooperation on the issue of climate change."

The Conservative government is not doing Canada any favours, she said.

"Watching the Harper government handle the environmental file domestically and at the international level, right now I can't help but feel ashamed of our country."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has shifted blame to the previous government, suggesting that the Liberals signed on to Kyoto but did not produce a policy framework in which to imple­ ment the emission reduction goals.

Environment Minister Rona Ambrose, who represented Canada at the UN climate confer­ ence in Nairobi, echoed Harper's sentiment last Thursday.

"We cannot meet the unachievable, unSee C LEA N on page 5

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COVERPHOTOBYSTEVENCAMPBELL

CITY

Galloway condemns Israel and the West Controversial UK politician claims 'Canada is no peacekeeper' Ben Fried This past summer's war in Lebanon and the continuing bloodshed in Iraq and Afghani­ stan have elicited passionate debate and plenty of opinions on the politics of the Middle East.

But few in the Western media have expressed such controversial views as strongly as British Member of Parliament George Galloway.

The founder of Britain's Respect Party gave a fiery, wide-ranging address to a packed audi­ torium last Friday evening at Concordia Univer­ sity's Henry F. Hall building. Galloway insisted that the various conflicts and injustices in the Middle East are "crises that must be solved not just for the sake [of those in the region] but for ours."

Galloway, who was ejected from the La­ bour Party for encouraging British soldiers to "disobey illegal orders," began by stating em­ phatically that he is neither anti-American, nor anti-military nor anti-Semitic. Having made this disclaimer, he identified the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan

by Western forces and the debilitating corrup­ tion and despotism of most Middle Eastern governments as the biggest problems facing the region. "[Palestinians] are everywhere in the world except in Palestine, where those who are there live under a total, illegal military occupation," Galloway said. "Adding insult to injury, the Pal­ estinians who are the victims are called the'ter­ rorists,'while Israel, which is the terrorist, is called the'victim."'

Galloway repeatedly expressed his outrage at Zionism, the purpose of which he believes is "to keep the Arabs divided and weak," and at the gross double standards he perceives in the

West, adding that,"in the world today the blood evaluation of the Syrian regime. of some people is more valuable than the blood "The Syrian regime is highly repressive, op­ of others." portunist and largely interested in its own sur­ Hosted by the Syrian Students'Association, vival," Brynen said. "I hardly see how a state that, his talk attempted to encompass a comprehen­ for example, subverted Lebanese democracy sive view of the problems facing the Middle and sovereignty for more than a quarter cen­ East and he did not shy away from criticizing tury, or which tortures Canadian citizens such Canada. as Maher Arar, is'dignified."'

"You are going to now have to face up to But it was the plight of the Palestinians a very uncomfortable truth," Galloway said. "Ca­ that the MP returned to again and again, as he nadians have an image of themselves that they described at length the "untold devastation" are peacekeepers, that they have a baby-face. -he has witnessed in Palestinian refugee camps But your country is killing people in Afghanistan during the 30 years of his involvement in the and made the mistake of allowing the American Middle East. army to kill people in Iraq."

Galloway then compared the difficulty in distinguishing the deaths ofTaliban fighters from Afghan civil­ ians with the tendency during the Vietnam War to confuse Viet Cong soldiers and ordinary peasants.

He repeatedly castigated most Arab regimes, with the exception of Syria's, as being governments of"corrupt kings and puppet presidents."

Galloway had only scorn for leaders like Saudi Arabia's Prince Bandar and Libya's Colonel Gaddafi who, in his opinion, act against the interests of their own countries by supporting the United States. Galloway admitted that the Syrian regime, led by Bashar al-Asad, has its faults but nonetheless asserted that it is the last remaining "dignified" Arab regime espousing the Arab nationalist cause.

INMINDS.CO.UK Political Science Professor Rex G allow ay says Syria is th e o nly dignified Arab regim e.

Brynen disagreed with Galloway's

Recalling his visit to a refugee camp at Jenin, Galloway said that "it is a wonder that not everyone in Jenin is a suicide bomber.'The West's attitude towards Israel should, he said, be similar to the international treatment of apart­ heid South Africa marked by sanctions and con­ demnation.

The biggest applause of the night came when Galloway dealt with this past summer's war between Hezbollah and Israel and called Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, "a truly great figure."

Lebanese Concordia student Serg Ajamin, U3 Economics, was booed by the audience dur­ ing the question and answer period, when he pressed Galloway on his support for Hezbol­ lah, arguing that his native country should not be used as a "launching pad" by Iran and Syria.

Afterwards, Ajamin explained that "I agree with Galloway 9 5 per c e n t ... and I did support Hez­ bollah during the war because my country was under attack. However, the consequences [of Hezbollah's actions] are to be reprimanded."

McGill students Mehr Shafiei, U3 Biology, and Sahar Rouhani, U3 Environment and Inter­ national Development Studies, found Galloway inspiring and extremely well-spoken. They said he was right in identifying "Zionism as the big­ ger enemy."

Shafiei said that Galloway's extreme rheto­ ric is appropriate considering the gravity of the situation in the Middle East.

"Sometimes the way he speaks about cer­ tain issues is over the top and extreme, but con­ sidering that the situation in Iraq is way over the top and extreme, [it] makes sense."»

— A d d itio n a l rep ortin g b y Kayvon A fsh ari

CAMPUS

Oxfam McGill launches 'No Sweat7campaign Sport shop claims to sell clothing made under ethical conditions Vincci Tsui McGill Students for a Sweat-Free Campus, led by Oxfam McGill, launched a campaign last Thursday to push the university into ensuring that all McGill apparel is produced in sweat­ shop-free conditions. The launch date coin­ cided with a national movement led by United Students Against Sweatshops Canada.

"We are asking McGill to adopt a code of conduct and sign on to the Designated Suppli­ ers Program offered by the Workers'Rights Con­ sortium," said Sarah Hamdi, coordinator of the Ethical Purchasing Committee of Oxfam McGill.

"Currently, McGill has a paragraph on their Web site about their purchasing policy, but it's very vague and we're not sure that it's being en­ forced. If McGill adopts the DSP, this could have an effect on all the universities in Montreal."

The EPC looks to achieve its goal by mobi­ lizing students in hopes of starting a dialogue with the administration and raising student awareness through different activities. They eventually want to circulate a petition asking the university to adopt a code of Conduct and the DSP. "This campaign is being started as part of the No Sweat campaign by Oxfam," Hamdi said, "but we are working with United Students Against Sweatshops because it is a good net­ work. We are also trying to sign on with QPIRG." The DSP provides a list of factories that have been investigated and approved by the WRC. According to the WRC Web site, when a university signs on to the DSP, there is a grace period of six months, after which at least 25 per cent of the university apparel must be supplied

by DSP factories. This number then increases in­ that are offshore," he said. bour Association. crementally over two years to 75 per cent.

The only controversial brand that the Sport Presently, 14 Canadian universities have ad­ Barry Schmidt, general manager of the Shop carries is Gildan, a company that was heav­ opted a code of conduct, but none have signed McGill University Bookstore, disagreed with the ily targeted by the WRC and FLA in a campaign on to the DSP. Hamdi is confident that McGill idea of a DSP. between 2003 and 2005. will be the first university to do so.

"We don't want to do that because we "Most of our stuff from Gildan is made in “McGill has already shown that it's a leader want the flexibility to work with the suppliers Canada, except for the fleece products, which in this field because it was the first Canadian to work out the best price and quality of prod­ are made in Central America," Mezey said. 'I university to pull its investments from South Af­ uct," he said. "You've got to let competition still know it was in the headlines, but Gildan has rica [in 1982] during the apartheid regime," she work." changed completely since then." said.

Schmidt added that the bookstore is al­ However Hamdi stated that this doesn't Hamdi added that the DSP will have a min­ ready a member of the Fair Labour Association, mean the products are made under humane imal impact on students. and chooses its suppliers according to the orga­ working conditions.

"In most cases, especially with the WRC, in­ nization's code of conduct, which is very similar "A lot of the apparel sold at McGill are Que­ creased wages are absorbed by the company to that of the WRC. bec brands, but it doesn't mean that they're not because they're making so much profit anyway," "The issue is that this is a non-issue," he produced in sweatshop conditions,"she said. she said. said. "We've spent a considerable amount of Schmidt said that while the bookstore Schmidt and Mezey are open to meeting time working with people who are working to­ does not carry Gildan products, it is a more ethi­ with students on this issue. wards this [fair labour] issue and I don't think we cal company which is now part of the Fair La­ "We're happy with the Fair Labour Associa­ have to do anything because we're tion's code of conduct, but we're already doing it." also happy to talk to the group Although the McGill Sport Shop about the issue,"said Schmidt. in the Currie Gym does not appear to "The only people who have a written policy, they do carry come [to the Sport Shop] are brands that are not manufactured McGill students, there is no one in sweatshops, such as American from the street,"said Mezey, "We Apparel, Fruit of the Loom and Rus­ can have an understanding as sell Athletics. Andy Mezey, manager to our service to our students." of the Sport Shop, said that there is But the two managers an emphasis on Canadian and USshould not expect to hear from made products, but acknowledged the student group any time that some of the products the store soon. carries are made outside of North "We are going higher up America. and targeting the admin,"Hamdi "All our companies are recog­ said. “If they adopt the policy, WWW.MCGILL.CA then it will trickle down to the nized as ones who do not have a record of abusing workers, even ones Ethically produced or not, M cGill apparel w ill em pty your pockets. rest of the university." ■

21.11.06 • The McGill Tribune • 3

C A M P U S

C A M P U S

Political groups disagree on controversial issue

Prospective membership will require referendum within 12 months

SSMU finds federal Clubs debate Quebec as nation representation with CFS

and the NDP supports that. Although we do believe that the province K ate S pirgen Students representing the should remain part of Canada." five major political parties at McGill The Bloc Québécois, whose very McGill students can now call clashed last Wednesday night over themselves prospective members of foundations rely on the idea that whether or not Quebec should be Quebeckers are a distinct people, the largest Canadian student lobby recognized as a nation. The idea has group, the Canadian Federation of insist that the claim to sovereignty been pushed by Liberal leadership stems from the fact that the province Students. On Thursday Students' So­ frontrunner Michael Ignatieffand has ciety Council voted to take out a pro­ is a nation. been adopted by the provincial wing "The most important thing for spective membership in the federal of the Quebec Liberals Party. lobby group. SSMU will be joining a nation is for the citizens to identify Organized by Liberal McGill, the With the place where they live," said CFS, CFS-Services and CFS-Q, which event offered students unique and is the Quebec chapter of the organi­ Charles Larivée, U2 Honours Politi­ diverse perspectives on Quebec's cal Science. "Being a sovereign state zation. social and political status and how In accordance with the contract would enhance our identity as French that relates to the Canadian federal between SSMU and CFS, within a Canadians and our voice would be system. heard due to our distinctiveness." year of being accepted as prospec­ Liberal McGill President Simon While the Green Party has no tive members, a referendum must Bessette indicated that this was an be held in which McGill students official stance on the issue, represen­ appropriate time to have the debate. tatives Ben Rankin and Kyle Bailey ar­ will vote on whether they want to "It's one of the central issues of gued that the Canadian government become full members. Membership the Liberal leadership race," he said. would cost students approximately should not view Quebec as a sepa­ "It's a hot button issue in Canadian rate nation. They further asserted $12 per year. politics right now and we have all During the debate on the mo­ that Canada should refuse to accord five major parties active on campus, the province any special status in the tion, councillors and executives em­ so it was a good opportunity to bring phasized that they were not com ­ constitution. the clubs together to present their "It's important to protect nation­ pletely sold on the benefits of mem­ position within the context of the al minorities, not just French speak­ bership. debate." ing Quebeckers," Bailey said. "But also "We're going to go into this or­ According to Liberal panelist Acadians, Metis, Inuits and the mul­ Pat Boily, his party acknowledges the titudes of cultures and languages of H' ' ‘ province's special status, but in the aboriginals and of course, the rest of J sociological sense.

French speakers outside Quebec."

"We believe that Canada can Lastly, the Conservative panel­ work and that it has been working," ists firmly acknowledged that Que­ he said. "We do not see the need for bec is "distinct from other provinces separation and [we recognize] Que­ and that should be recognized." The b ec is an integral part of Canada." party is also concerned with the rest Bessette added, "Although the of French minorities in other provinc­ province is recognized as a sociologi­ es, such as the Maritimes. cal nation, there is no appetite to re­ However, some students felt open the constitution debate at this that not all positions were exhausted point." in the debate.

The NDP opted to go further in "Nobody is arguing for Canadïas such recognition. David Marc-Newa whole anymore," said Yan Michelin, man, U3 Political Science and French U3 Political Science."! find it quite dis­ Literature, was frank about their plat­ turbing and I hope that there will be form. someone sitting in power who will "The debate should not even be support unity."* a debate," he said. "Quebec is a nation 0 - 4 E U T I E

Isis O rtiz

ganization to evaluate it," said SSMU Vice-President External Max Silverman.

The main reason cited for joining CFS so far has been the need for Mc­ Gill students to gain federal represen­ tation and become a more prominent leader in the student movement.

"The only way to move forward is to get a prospective membership," said Arts Representative Rachel Abs, calling the prospective membership "the only way to pursue a federal place in the movement."

However, some concerns about the organization have been raised, which SSMU executives will evalu­ ate over the coming year. The cost of membership, the lack of debate at CFS annual general meetings and the overall effectiveness of the group will all be under review during the pro­ spective membership period.

"If the students don't see what they want to see out of the prospec­ tive membership they'll vote it down," said Law Representative Erica Martin.

The possibility of CFS executives

.

campaigning on McGill's campus during the referendum has also been a source of anxiety. Local sovereignty has recently become an important issue recently after the recent rift with la Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec over the issue of càrripüs democracy. The perceived violation of this by FEUQ executives led to an early referendum on membership in the provincial lobby group this fall.

During CFS membership refer­ enda, normal elections bylaws are traditionally suspended and a fourmember committee made up of two CFS representatives and two SSMU representatives will decide on the specific rules and regulations that will be followed for the campaign and vote.

"We'll respect the CFS laws and our own constitution and bylaws," said SSMU President Aaron DonnyClark of the referendum to possibly become full members of CFS. "We will not stand for outsiders campaigning on campus. I take the job of enforcing the constitution very seriously." ■

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gun violence.

The Quebec government has re­ cently renewed efforts to investigate those applying for and renewing gun licences in reaction to the Daw­ son College shootings, but has not banned handguns.

Harper has recently sought to abolish portions of the gun registry, citing soaring bureaucratic costs. Au­ ditor General Sheila Fraser has in the past estimated that the registry has cost close to $i-billion over the last ten years. Harper promised to elimi­ nate the gun registry during the last election campaign.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said that resources are being di­ rected to problem areas in order to make the gun registry stronger.

"We're making the gun registra­ tion system even stronger," he said.

"One of the things that we are doing to make it stronger is not requir­

ing farmers, duck hunters and oth­ ers with unrestricted firearms to go through the impossible process, at a cost of millions of dollars, of register­ ing those.”

The location of Aidan's shoot­ ing strikes an emotional chord with residents of downtown Montreal and McGill students. It has prompted a re­ surgence of discussion on the merits and effectiveness of gun control leg­ islation.

"Theoretically gun control is a good idea” said Felicity Conrad, Uo undeclared, who has spent time at the Vinyl Lounge, "but I don't think it could be implemented in an efficient and effective way."

Andy Voellmer, Uo undeclared, supports gun control.

"I think they're very danger­ ous and don't think [owning guns] is very necessary. I think that the risk of owning a gun far outweighs the pro­ tection of owning it."*

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4 • News • 21.11.06

The McGill Tribune

IN T E R N A T IO N A L

Blair pushes new role for Iran and Syria in Iraq Profs comment on Middle East plan A lli M a c Isaac In an effort to quell ongoing violence in Iraq and move toward peace in the Middle East, the United Kingdom has begun to pursue a dialogue with Iran and Syria. Delivering a major foreign policy speech on Nov. 13, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair claimed that this communication could provide an adaptive solution.

“Jüst as the situation is evolving, so our strategy should evolve to meet it," he said.

According to the Prime Minister, a comprehensive strategy in the Middle East is needed to combat religious extremism and terrorism. Ahead of the speech, UK Defense Minister Des Browne stated that Syria and Iran should be­ come major players as Iraq's neighbours.

"Throughout the conflict we've been calling on Iran and Syria to do more to stop the flow into Iraq of foreign fighters, bomb making equipment and know-how and we will continue to talk to all of Iraq's neighbours."

While the United States has yet to make a formal com­ ment on the proposal, it is believed that a possible role for Iran and Syria is under discussion by the Iraq Study Group, a non-partisan group appointed by Congress in March to assess the situation in Iraq. Former secretary of state James Baker and former Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton co-chair the group. . Political Science Professor Rex Brynen said that the group would likely suggest that talks take place between the nations.

“I think [proposed dialogue] is the recommendation that will also emerge from the current US Institute of Peace 'Baker Commission]" he said. "I think that the Bush Admin­ istration will respond somewhat positively, but find it dif­ ficult to sustain a productive dialogue."

The proposition has been well received in Syria.'

"Syria wants to become a part of the solution to the

problem," Syrian Ambassador to the US Imad Moustapha told BBC News."We are willing to engage and we can help.

I'm not claiming we have the magical wand, but we can help play a constructive role."

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Ali agreed somewhat.

"If [the United States] really wants to hold talks with Iran, they should officially propose it and then Iran will re­ view it."

However, Political Science Professor Mark Brawley didn't think that the UK and the US will be able to come to an agreement.

"These are the'enemies,'so to speak, of the US and UK. They have a different idea of how things should look," he said."I'd say there is little ground for compromise, though they might both agree that if the US withdraws into the Kurdish region of Iraq only, they would be happy."

Brynen said that he expects dialogue between Iran and the US to face plenty of new difficulties, while USSyria talks will likely be a continuation of recent historical demands.

"Dialogue with Iran could have been extremely useful if started a few years ago,"Brynen said."Now I think it will be much more difficult, especially given the ideological ten­ sion between the Bush and Ahmadinejad administrations.

As for Syria, its price for cooperation is pretty clear— prog­ ress towards an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights."

Bassil Mikdadi, U2 Middle Eastern Studies, offered a mix of optimism and uncertainty for the potential dialogue.

"I don't think Bush will do a complete 180 over the next few weeks,” he said. "The fact is that there are a lot of pragmatic minds around Bush and the ideologues have lost steam. I think Syria and the US will be able to negotiate a settlement just fine. As for Iran, that is kind of up in the air." ■

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News Briefs Stressed For Finals? Massage-A-Thon promises to offer relaxation

With less than a month before finals, students are try­ ing to keep pace with assignments and term papers while at the same time preparing for exams. For those feeling stressed, a group on campus is riding to the rescue. On Nov. 22,China Care and the Xing Long Gong Fu Club will be hosting a Massage-A-Thon from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Lev Buhkman room to help students relax and get their creative juices flowing.

In addition to providing massages at a discount price of $5 for 20 minutes, the club will host two massage dem­ onstrations and one on martial arts. All proceeds will go to funding children's surgeries in China.

China Care has been growing internationally since its inception two years ago and has been helping orphans in a variety of ways.

"The objective has always been to improve the lives of Chinese orphans," said China Care President Daniel Goodfellow, U3 Physics. "That -may be accomplished by raising funds for their surgeries, renovating entire orphanages or helping Chinese orphans in the adoption process."

The Massage-A-Thon is just one of several fundrais­ ing events China Care has planned for the year. Events Coordinator Julia Winters, U2 History, said that it is a time for people to relax and do a service at the same time."[The goal of the event is] to just chill and relax, while at the same time bettering the lives of the disadvantaged," she said. "It's a two-in-one deal. For only $5, you'll get 20 min­ utes worth of massaging as well as the acknowledgement that you made a difference in someone's life."

— Trip Yang

Canada World Youth bridges cultural gaps

Canada World Youth paid tribute to its founder, former Senator Jacques Hébert, as part of their 35th annivesary celebration last Thursday at Montreal's City Hall.

Canada World Youth is an internationally recognized NGO that sends Canadians between the ages of 17 and 24 around the world in support of community development programs.

Those honouring Hébert included Montreal Mayor

Gérald Tremblay, Chair of the Board of Directors of Canada World Youth AlexandreTrudeau and the President and CEO of Canada World Youth Don Johnston. The event also fea­ tured speeches by previous participants in Canada World Youth's programs and a special musical performance by current participants in a trilateral program between Cana­ da, Ghana and Senegal.

The event and the organization as a whole under­ lined the importance of cross-cultural understanding and of helping the helpless.

"We live in a world of differences and we need to find the com m onalities... [and] the more and better we understand one another and the more we are in solidar­ ity with other countries, the better we are going to be," Johnston said.

As part of its programs, the organization puts to­ gether teams comprised of several young people from different backgrounds and cultures and sends them to different communities, where they work on various proj­ ects. For the first half of the program, the participants work in a Canadian community, while the second half is spent abroad, often in the home countries of the international participants.

The participants abolish negative stereotypes and bridge cultural gaps while helping out in the develop­ ment of their host communities. For Joshua Nicco-Annan, a Ghanaian participant in Canada World Youth's AfricaCanada Eco-leadership Program, the experience has helped form a whole new perspective on North Ameri­ cans. Nicco-Annan said he has been surprised by how friendly and accepting people have been.

George Smith, also a participant in the AfricanCanada Eco-leadership Program and a native of Ontario, learned much after coming to Montreal.

"Quebeckers aren't that different. They have a lan­ guage, they have a culture, but they are not that different," Smith said. "If anyone has gone to Newfoundland, they will know that Newfoundland has its own culture. But, does that mean Newfoundland is going to separate? Does that mean Newfoundland is going to become its own coun­ try? No! It just shows how multicultural Canada is."

— M a th e w Cherian

Recording se cre ta ry for the SSMU leg islative council The responsibilities are to take d minutes, pre document pac the techn ment befor ing perti­ nent documents.

The person e appointed fo r the session o f November 30th as a training session. The meetings will be held from January 4th in 2007.

Email c.v. to genman@ssmu.mcgill.ca or leave your c.v. at SSMU front desk

21.11.06 «News *5

w w w .m cg illtrib u n e.co m

u p ■ t

1 0

C A M P U S

sp eed

A $200,000 stamp is said to have been found on an envelope sealed in a ballot box after the US midterm elections. Only about 700 of the "In­ verted Jenny"stamps were mistakenly made in 1918, featuring an upsidedown plane. Election laws do not allow the box with the sealed enve­ lope to be reopened for 22 months. • Luciano Mares, 81, indirectly set his house on fire after he threw a mouse into a burning pile of leaves, only to watch the inflamed critter run into his house. Don't mess with the mouse!

• Danish artist Kristian von Hornsleth is offering Ugandan villagers free pigs and goats under the condition that the recipients take the artist's last name. Hornsleth said he is highlighting unfair conditions Western do­ nors attach to aid. Ugandan George Sabadu Hornsleth was happy to get the pig and didn't care about the condition. "Africans adopting European names for gifts— that's nothing new. We've been doing that since colo­ nial times. Why do you think I'm called George?" he said. • Anti-war activ­ ists and houseboat-dwellers, Donna Sheehan, 76, and her partner Paul Reffel, 55, have called for a 'Global Orgasm for Peace' event to take place on Dec. 22. The couple said that world peace might be achieved if eve­ ryone in the world were to have an orgasm on that day. It remains to be seen whether the positive vibrations will have any effect on hostilities.

— Sou rces: BBC N ews, Yahoo! New s

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A lli M a c Isaac After its two proposed motions passed at the recent General Assem­ bly, the Grass Roots Association for Student Power appears to be a strong force on campus.

GRASPé is a completely autono­ mous, non-hierarchical student group whose mandate is to put power back into the hands of students through direct action. This year, the group's main focus is on tuition and the ac­ cessibility of education.

Students associated with thç or­ ganization are not considered 'mem­ bers' of GRASPé. In keeping with its non-hierarchical nature of the group, most consider themselves activists af­ filiated with the organization.

Elena Allen-Lukawiecki, Uo un­ declared, described the association's broad, fundamental goal.

"It's really [based on] the idea that students are able to make deci­ sions on campus,"she said.

The group has been accused of having a strict political ideology.

However, Derek Lappano, U2 Philoso­ phy and English Cultural Studies, dis­ agreed with that view.

“It's a group of autonomous people. Each person has their own view of how politics should be run.

Of course there are people who think that, but that's not how the group

thinks."

The group operates indepen­ dently on-campus and is not affiliated in any way with the Students'Society.

"As far as we're concerned they don't actually 'exist"' said SSMU VicePresident Clubs and Services Floh Herra-Vega."As far as I know, they also have no interest in being affiliated with SSMU in any official way."

Decisions are made on a con­ sensual basis. Lappano estimated the organization's active membership at approximately 35 to 40.

Shayna Cummings, Ui Psychol­ ogy and Linguistics, participated with the organization last year when it par­ took in an Anti-Free Trade Area of the Americas street carnival to coincide with one occurring in Argentina that same day.

"The event started off well, but by the end police had to break it up," Cummings said. "A few people got out of hand and set a mattress on fire."

However, she noted that her ex­ perience with the organization was a positive one.

“GRASPé really encourages you to go beyond the regular breadth of what you learn in school,"she said.

The association did maintain a Website where it had declared rough­ ly 30 principles deemed important.

The site has since been taken offline

to be modified. On the site the group declared that, among other things, it was anti-racism, pro-environment, anti-capitalism and pro-social equal­ ity.

GRASPé activists were heav­ ily involved last spring in the push to amend the SSMU Constitution to mandate semi-annual general assem­ blies. The group used the first such GA in October to propose two mo­ tions, one on the de-corporatization of campus and another on solidarity with worker's struggles.

"It's clear that GRASPé is an in­ terest group just like any other," said James Loss-Wells, U3 Italian Stud­ ies and Political Science. "Yet even though they have radical views shared only by an extreme minority on campus, they pick their battles shrewdly to advance their agenda in fora they can dominate despite their numbers- like the GA." While some have argued that the GA itself was undemocratic, Allen-.

Lukawiecki said that students should realize that the GA is still undergoing work.

"People were upset with some of the referendum questions that we brought forward but I think we just need to focus on the idea that there is a process with the GA that still needs to be worked put. It's important that we try to show how it is legitimate." ■

Clean Air Act criticized C ontinued from CO VER

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Activist group's recognition on the rise

Greening McGill upset with Tory plan

H U M BER

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GRASPé strives to take the power back to students

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reachable targets set by the former government,” said Ambrose, in an in­ terview with the G lobe a n d M ail.

Saima Sidik of Greening McGill believes otherwise. "I think the Ca­ nadian government was on the right track when the Liberals were in power, and that progress was being made in terms of reducing CO2 emissions."

"For the Conservatives to sud­ denly change the whole strategy by coming up with a new plan and talk­ ing about rewriting Kyoto is a huge setback," Sidik added, referring to the Harper government's Clean Air Act. "My impression is that the current ad­ ministration is trying to put off taking action on climate change."

In spite of the "unachievable, un­ reachable" nature of the six per cent emissions reduction goal, Ambrose has brought forward legislation that aims to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emission by up to 65 per cent by 2050 through mandatory regulation policies.

Zhang criticized the long-term nature of such a goal. "Any govern­ ment that sets targets that won't be reached before a decade or more in the future is basically saying: 'I don't really want to deal with this issue but I also don't want to lose the votes of those who care about it, so I'll set tar­ gets for the distant future, way past my electoral mandate.'"

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

addressed conference attendees last Wednesday, pointing out the urgent need for international action.

"Let no one say we cannot afford to act," he said. "It is increasingly clear that it will cost far less to cut emis­ sions now than to deal with the con­ sequences later."

Annan went on to say that the

Kyoto Protocol was only a small step forward and that there "remains a frightening lack of leadership."

"Individual citizens have roles to play," Annan said. "Voting power could be similarly compelling, if peo­ ple were to make action on climate change more of an election issue than it is today." ■

IMAGES

Stud ents at U CLA protest th e excessive use of force by cam pu s police last Friday. M ostafa Tabatabain ejad w as stunned w ith a taser m ore than five tim es after failing to sho w his stu d en t ID in th e cam pu s library and th en refusing to leave th e prem ises. A vid eo of th e incid en t w as circulated w id ely on y o u t u b e .c o m and m ade national head lines.

O pinion

T H EH E L P L E S SR O M A N T IC

S IM P L YS P O K E N

Canadian politics: droll, not dull

Drop your books and head for the Hill

R ichard T seng RICHTSEN@GMAIL.COM

M iriam M artz SIMPLYSPOKEN@HOTMAIL.COM ublic education is a funny thing. Among its benefits, it provides us with the tools to be good citizens and to be a part of the political life of our countries. So let's take a look at the real role of education in politics. Allow me to tell you three little stories.

Story O ne: There was a bit of controversy in the House of Commons two weeks ago when hockey analyst Don Cherry was invited to sit in on a session, which caused a lot of "yelling and hollering"(his own words). Why? Because House Speaker (and fellow Kingston native) Peter Miliken decided to— gasp— recognize his presence.

Some Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs don't like Cherry because of his tirades against French Ca­ nadian hockey players, though he claims to not be “anti-French." He also supports the Canadian military presence in Afghanistan; obviously this guy is not winning any popularity contests in left-leaning circles. Be that as it may, not liking a sportscaster's opinions on hockey doesn't seem like the best reason to want to throw him out of the House of Commons.

Story Tw o: The same week, one of my friends told me that I'm really irresponsible. What did I do that was so irresponsible? I went to the speech by Ashanti Alston of the Black Panthers, to the Fulbright lecture by Dr. Stephen Farn­ sworth apd to the Millennium Promise Confer­ ence. Obviously, in orderTo do this I gave up time I needed to do my homework and in the case of the conference, missed a whole day of class. I thought it was worth it, though, because speakers of this stature are rare in Montreal.

Story Three: I picked up the Nov. 7 issue of the Tribune and saw the headline of the news story, "Midterm elections fail to excite students."

Another article in the Features section had the subhead “Poli Sci majors usurp the campus, but who cares about politics, anyway?" in that article, it was stated that, "Out of the 6,000 stu­ dents in the Arts faculty at McGill, a whopping 1,300 are in the Political Science department."Fi­

P

nally, in the Campus Buzz, one political science student claimed that "We [political science stu­ dents] have no social life in this school, way too much work."

In case you haven't figured out where I'm going with these three stories or what they have to do with education and politics, give me a moment to connect the dots. Over 20 per ' cent of Arts students at McGill view the link be­ tween politics and education as so important that they go so far as to major in political sci­ ence. Yet, when it comes down to it, not that many students are all that interested in politics orelections.There were nowhere nean,3oo Mc­ Gill students at any of the speeches I attended; 1,300 McGill students study politics but will not drop their books.to go participate in politics or to talk with actual politicians instead of profes­ sors. Can this be true?

To be fair, many students are involved in organizations with political goals, but these or­ ganizations exist mainly within the McGill bub­ ble— e.g. Liberal McGill or Conservative McGill.

What is the result? If they ever do enter into politics, they end up being immature adults who can't handle the presence of Don Cherry in their workplace because they don't want to have to hear a word he says.

Even if they don't go into politics, they end up voting on election issues that they know very little about because they were too busy studying political science. They were not busy enough learning history, natural science and economics. They were not busy enough look­ ing at politics from a non-academic perspec­ tive.

Do you know what I learned from Ashanti Alston? People need to listen to each other.

He said this over and over again. Maybe if the Canadian MPs had gone to see someone like Alston instead of hitting their textbooks, they might have learned a few important lessons that every good citizen needs to learn. ■

was reading my favourite campus news­ paper the other day and was shocked to discover how boring Miriam Martz found Canadian politics. I asked a friend of mine to name me one thing unique and interest­ ing about it and he told me, “Canada is the only country outside of Italy today that had, until recently, a Sicilian Mafioso embezzling money and buying its politicians."

Being a Liberal myself, this jab at for­ mer cabinet minister Alfonso Gagliano hit a sore spot. For everybody else, it was clearly a laughing matter, but I have many friends who take politics very seriously. For instance, these days many members of Liberal McGill look just a little more haggard and stressedout than the current torrent of exams and es­ says would warrant because the leadership convention, which may be Canada's last, has very high stakes. It could mean the differ­ ence— depending on who one backs— be­ tween working beneath the gargoyles in the Parliament building or manually installing gargoyles while working some construction job next summer. This is because the new leader will naturally reward those who've demonstrated their loyalty by helping him win the position.

If the next Liberal leader doesn't interest you, there's also the highly emotional process of crafting the party— which is undergoing a serious restructuring and rethinking what it can do for Canadians— into something that can govern this country the way the public wants. The conflicting visions, radical (or reactionary) proposals and high-tension debates are enough to bring any politicallyminded McGill student to tears, sometimes of desperate laughter.

Canada is not making the impact in the world it used to and the number of people who care enough to get involved is shrink­ ing. Despite what Miriam's friend "Dave" has to say about the prominence of Pierre

I

Trudeau's gonads, he was unable to reverse Canada's slide in stature, calling it the largest of the small nations.

Perhaps the smallness of our country has impacted the hearts and minds of our rul­ ing elite. When asked about his dog, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Mackay allegedly mo­ tioned to. his ex-girlfriend Belinda Stronach's vacant seat— with whom he'd been broken up with for nearly a year and a half— and said, "You already have her."

Well, he may or may not have seen a bitch (or shagged one, for that matter) but at least his eyes are on the living. This past Sep­ tember, Joe Volpe's campaign team signed up two new members to the party who turned out to have been dead for a long time.

Even the media, with their concerned faces and serious political analysis, seems to be in on the joke. The N ext G reat Prim e M in ister is a nation-wide contest being held

by Frank Stronach— Belinda's dad and bil­ lionaire auto parts magnate. The contestant deemed most likely to make a great prime minister will receive $50,000 and a six-month paid internship. But get this: the finals, which are to be broadcast live, are to be hosted by none other than comedian Rick Mercer. It will be judged by three former PMs ranked

by M aclean's as less than average— Joe Clark, John Turner and Kim Campbell— and who, even when combined, spent less time in the PMO than the average PM. Then there's Brian Mulroney, who at one time had the lowest approval rating in Canadian history. It'll be nothing if not entertaining to see how well the bottom of the barrel can discern what's necessary to be at the top.

The boringness of Canadian politics, I've realized, is really a practical joke among the elites. We don't find it funny because it's being played on us, but if enough of us join in it may regain the gravity it deserves and cease to be a subject of ridicule. ■

W E TP A IN T

Three dicks and a Coffee Crisp D ominique Z ipper DOMINIQUEZIPPER@GMAIL.COM ver been asked to watch porn with a bunch of old men?

Ever answered, "Urn, okay. That'll be interesting."

E

I have.

If you've ventured past St-Laurent and des Pins, you've probably come across Cinema LAmour, an old Montreal theatre converted into a XXX film house. And chances are, if you've come across it, you've been intrigued.

This common intrigue was precisely what had infected a good friend— let's call him "Curious George"— when he con­ vinced me to join him. He needed female accompaniment, partly because the showings are free for couples on Sundays and Mondays, but mostly because it's creepy to watch porn on your own in a theatre rumoured to be frequented by las­ civious old men. Hence, I became Curious George's partner in curiosity.

In order for us both to avoid a degree of cognitive dis­ sonance, we firmly established our intentions as socially in­ vestigative. Questions of vital importance plagued us both: Who and what would we find? Do these men speak to each other? Play with each other?Themselves? Perhaps it's purely for the entertainment value or the sense of communal per­ version?

We construed our XXX foray as artsy, in essence: Two er­

udite young McGillians with a desire to u n d ersta n d this scene and transcend all taboos and ticket counters to plumb the outer reaches of society's sexual cravings. Then again, it's also condescending and socio-centric.

Nevertheless, two slices of Euro Deli pizza and many voiced qualms later, we walked into the foyer. Greeted by a domino effect of expressions ranging from pure shock to sheepish guilt, the feeling of being the first female to appear fully clothed in this establishment since 1969 only lasted until I saw the woman behind the desk.

For some reason, the idea of a man selling admissions tickets immediately strikes me as somewhat homo-erotic; as if the selling of pleasure involves a shared experience. Yet, does a female in this position really serve to uphold a hetero­ sexual veil? Is it the sexual heterogeneity in these admissions interactions that portends, or even parallels, the imminent onscreen displays of heterosexuality? After all, a female is let­ ting a male penetrate this pornographic sphere...

So, a man shouldn't sell pornography to another man, because he's basically selling a good hand job and that's one degree of separation too close to male prostitution?

Fine. So we entered.

The name Cinema LAmour connotes something other

than pure fucking. One expects a sliver of plot, low lighting or feigned pleasure— at the very least a good pair of im­ plants. Unfortunately, we were served one pink mesh top, one Swedish man exclaiming "Wow!" in an Ikea accent, one pre-pubescent girl whose amateur gag-reflex still figures in my bad dreams and lest we forget, three penises.

Unfortunately, the artsy ingredient wasn't there— save maybe for the vaulted ceiling. What w o u ld have made it artsy?

It's definitely not the subject matter alone, a point on which I think most of us can agree. Had the guy in the third row dipped into some vichyssoise instead of loudly unwrap­ ping a Coffee Crisp, could we have comfortably reclined in our velvet seats, assured that we weren't just watching a girl get penetrated way too many times? Would a famous direc­ tor's name in the credits and an impending paper on the actors'subject positions confirm for us that we were exam­ ining the social mores expressed through sexual semiotics?

Or does an artsy experience inevitably require an audience decked in thick-rimmed glasses and vintage garb?

You tell me. I just know that I wanted some of that Cof­ fee Crisp— it would have made viewing (consensual) sexual assault guised as'Tamour"a lot more palatable. ■

21.11.06 • The McGill Tribune • 7

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n an effort to re-establish themselves as lead­ ers in the national student movement, Students' Society Council has decided to take out a pro­ spective membership in the Canadian Federation of Students, the largest student lobby group in the country. Lately this role has been abandoned, but SSMU councillors are right: The students of this uni­ versity need to be represented.

Thankfully, councillors opted to be careful be­ forejum ping into the arms of another lobby organi­ zation. SSMU is going in with a list of changes that it hopes to make to the organization before bringing a recommendation to students on whether or not to join. However, whether or not these demands are met should not be the basis of that commit­ ment: SSMU should use this trial period to assess whether CFS membership would benefit McGill students, not whether the federation's culture can be changed to suit the SSMU delegation.

Recently this has not been the case. All too often, SSMU's approach has been to make a set of demands and then threaten to walk out if they aren't followed. For instance, SSMU Council recom­ mended withdrawal from la Fédération Etudiants Universitaires du Québec in the recent referendum, complaining,.in part, that it was unreceptive to the reforms SSMU proposed. While the FEUQ executive may have been resis­ tant to change, SSMU should have tried harder to find common ground with other schools and rally them to its point of view.

The walk-out strategy has become a favourite. SSMU withdrew its representa­ tive from the McGill Board of Governors to protest the lack of a seat for the SSMU President, and walked out from a meeting of the Association Etudiant du Québec to protest a perceived lack of democracy.

Rather than continuing this behaviour, SSMU needs to examine its tactics and take a look at alternative methods of influence.

If those methods did not earn it significant influence among the 17 schools that make up FEUQ, where SSMU was one of the larg­ est member schools, how will the Students'

I

Society be able to influence the 83 student groups that comprise CFS? There's no question that SSMU's behaviour and negotiating style have failed to build a consensus with other student organizations. If SSMU hopes to be a leader, it must revise its tactics and learn to work with and within organizations.

This is not to say that walking out is never an option. There can come a point when nothing else has worked and it is necessary to employ this drastic strategy to achieve the desired means. But a walkout should only be used as a last resort. Like the boy who cried wolf, after too many times, no one listens.

Being leaders of the student movement means finding common ground with universi­ ties across the country. SSMU's negotiators and representatives must avoid focusing on the differ­ ences. Instead, they should identify and stress simi­ larities— they might be surprised at how much all these student unions share.

It is also important for SSMU to set realistic goals. No lobby group can— or should— ever re­ flect the viçws of only one member. If SSMU is to lead, it must be less selfish. Its extreme dedication

to representing student's interests is admirable but has been counter-productive at times.

If changes aren't made, chances are good that as SSMU will end up with the same quagmire that prompted the FEUQ imbroglio and the divorce from the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, and nobody wants that. It is critical that someone represent the interests of McGill students in the halls of power.

On that front, CFS membership could be prom­ ising. It is the country's largest student lobby group and while it is not perfect— SSMU Councillors have identified a general lack of debate and often-questionable referendum tactics as concerns— it has the potential to be beneficial to McGill undergrads.

We are glad to see that SSMU is taking steps to address our current lack of representation. We also fully support them in their vision to restore McGill's importance to the Canadian student movement.

Therefore, we hope that SSMU will take a measured approach in its dealings with CFS, advocating to change the aspects it feels are problematic, but be willing to negotiate, compromise and work proac­ tively with others. Only then will SSMU be consid­ ered a true leader. ■

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J amie G oodman

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E lizabeth P erle oward Dean is set to be the keynote speaker at the Liberal Party convention that begins later this month. This has outraged party members on the grounds that having an Ameri­ can delivering a speech meant to set the tone for the convention— one that is wrapping up a ninemonth effort to put the party back in touch with Canadians— is even more ridiculous than having Belinda Stronach do it.

"1 sure hope we don't get the Howard Dean scream,” said a concerned Michael ignatieff in a re­ cent Toronto Star article.

But if no one likes the Dean-o-nater (I'm hop­ ing this name catches on!), then who invited him? A thought no one seems to be considering is that this could be a super secret plot of the Democratic party to try to pawn him off onto the Grits. I mean, come on, everyone knows the Liberals will take anyone.

Many people, especially family-friendly Demo­ cratic political architect James Carville, are wagging angry fingers at poor Dean as of late, due to the fact that he is solely responsible for the Democrats having lost the House in this recent election. (And by "lost," I of course mean, failed to win every single seat, morph Hillary Clinton into her husband and

H

send Bush into Baghdad without body armour). Ei­ the South (largely because of their sexy accents).

Dean's strength is going into places where his ther that or the fact that the Democrats are so out of the habit of winning that they are confused about party is weak. Since the Liberal Party has traditionally their identity and consequently believe themselves been strong in Quebec, expect to see Liberals at the to be the Republicans and therefore the natural en­ Calgary Stampede: A"so states + 1 0 provinces" plan is coming our way. I'm so excited I could scream! emies of Dean.

I think that Dean is open to expanding his po­ But let's consider this reasonably. Would it re­ ally be so terrible to have a Dean scream rattle the litical horizons further. In the 1990s, the Democrats extremely lacklustre Liberal party? Dean's major won two presidential elections, yet lost ground at political efforts in the US— to bring the Democratic every other level of government. As a solution to party into areas of the south where it hasn't had a this ineffectiveness, Dean has advocated complete chance since the sixties— are essentially the same decentralization of the party, so that grassroots as the Liberal party's efforts to stand their ground in Democrats can build relationships with their state parties, while having little to do with Washington Alberta and Quebec.

Everyone knows that Alberta and Texas are at all; so little, in fact, that it's possible Dean has an pretty much the same state: Both are conservative, even larger plan up his sleeve.

I believe that he wants to move the Democrats possess copious amounts of oil, love beef and are the political homes of their countries' leaders. Addi­ out of Washington entirely— and have them oper­ tionally, Quebec exists as the physical embodiment ate out of a secret base completely separate from of the entire American South.Think about it: they are the"status quo'he so constantly characterizes as the distinct cultures, much of their populations would dominating force of American politics. This secret rather separate into their own countries (both have base is the Liberal Party of Canada.

And I have to say, manoeuvring this keynote tried unsuccessfully) and most importantly, they love to eat horribly unhealthy fried food. Plus, all the address is a brilliant first step. Good job, Dean. But really successful politicians tend to be from Quebec/ we're onto you. ■

8 • The McGill Tribune • 21.11.06

Letters to the editor Killing trees can be good, too Re: Keep it simple, stupid ( 1 4 .1 1 .0 6 ): While the "mass slaughter of trees" may be bad for the environment, it would have spillover effects and help Quebec's suffering pulp and paper industry. That way, QueI bee can avoid direct subsidies and avoid election fraud. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

We love to get your letters. Send them to us!

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Ietters@ mcgilltribune.com

VOX POPULI

SSMU: Undemocratic, hypocritical, out of touch E van S inger EVAN.SINGER@MAILMCGILL.CA t the Students' Society Council meeting of Nov. 2, an ex­ ecutive committee report was ratified that effectively bans blood drives in the Shatner Building until such time as Héma-Québec's— and by association, Health Canada's— blood collection policy is changed. While I was strongly against this mo­ tion, I'll admit that it was done in good faith: Councillors knew that this issue would come up, had time to research it and should have had a chance to discuss it with their constituents or faculty organizations.

Based on the vast majority of students'overwhelming dis­ dain for the ban on blood drives, I set out to find a way to hold blood drives in the building without violating the SSMU Constitu­ tion. I came to the conclusion that it would be possible for faculty associations and other groups, but not SSMU itself, to hold blood drives in the Shatner building, as the Constitution reads that "No Students' Society [emphasis added] endeavour shall" discriminate against personal characteristics. Allowing other groups to use the space would not be countermanding the ban, rather asserting the need for blood drives. SSMU can fight the ban by not hosting its own blood drives and by creating an external subcommittee to look into changing blood collection policy (a committee that I mandated at the aforementioned meeting of council).

I am not a legal authority. I do not have the expertise to de­

A

finitively interpret the SSMU Constitution; but as a councillor I do have a right to present my interpretation to Council. As such, I asked another councillor to put forward a motion to reconsid­ er the ratification of the report, which would have allowed me to present my suggestion. This was necessary due to the over­ whelming response from the students which SSMU is supposed to represent and the fact that there was an alternative to be con­ sidered.

This right was robbed from me at last Thursday's Council meeting. The motion to1 reconsider the ratification was voted down overwhelmingly. Councillors claimed that there was a mixed response from students and as such it did not need to be reconsidered. Another argument was that, "We knew it would be an unpopular decision when we made it." One councillor sug­ gested that going back on our decision wouldn't be appropriate as we had already made a decision, the national news had picked up the story and we would look like flip-floppers.

None of these are valid reasons not to reconsider the ban. I was not suggesting that Council change its collective mind on the spot, rather that they listen to an alternative that would hope­ fully satisfy student concerns while obeying the constitution. The fact that Council was not willing to even listen to an alternative shows a stubbornness and closed-mindedness that is unaccept­

life »- mJBS&ti®,

able for elected representatives of the student body.

The SSMU executives even recognize this. A motion was passed mandating them to spend an hour a week volunteering for one of the services that SSMU runs, since there is a perception on campus that they are out of touch with the average McGill student. Maybe they wouldn't be seen as out of touch if they didn't railroad through policies that most students, who they are supposed to represent, clearly oppose, such as the blood drive ban.

It's ironic that SSMU has complained of FEUQ violating its local sovereignty, when it has done the same to its faculty orga­ nizations. By taking away faculties'rights to hold blood drives, the SSMU is violating their sovereignty. I encourage each and every one of you to talk to your Council representative, voice your opin­ ion on this ban and to ensure that they share it with Council.

Hopefully SSMU will smarten up and try to find a way to solve this issue in the best ,interests of its constituents.

Until then, I will befighting forthe right for everyone, straight or gay, to donate blood on campus. ■ Evan Singer, U2 Chem ical Engineering, is also the SSMU C o un ­ cillo r for Engineering a n d EUS Blood Drive Coordinator. He wants to j bring blo o d drives back a n d is h a ppy to g et y o u r hate mail.

McGill

Jfk C A L L fo r M O TIO N S L

i

t

G EN ER A L A SSEM B LY

Due by J a n . 18 a t 2 4 :0 0 to the SSMU Office or scanned with signatures to speaker@s sm u.mcgill.ca Motions will only be accepted with signatures j of either 4 SSMU Councilors or 100 undergrad *0?^ students from at least 4 faculties, with no more f than 50% from any one faculty.

H H H

Questions? E-mail: speaker@s smu.mcgill. ca

Principal

H eather M unroe-Blum invites students, faculty and staff to an open forum to discuss issues of relevance to the McGill community 's o u r u n i v e r s i t y . T<

W ednesday, N o vem b er 22, 2006 12:00- 1:30 p.m.

Schulich School of Music Strathcona Music Building 555 Sherbrooke Street West Tanna Schulich Hall Room A202

Cam pus S IL H O U E T T E

C H A T T E R B O X

Hey baby, can I be your Picasso tonight?

Gibian's travels American prof appreciates Canadian perspective

The Fine Arts Club provides creativity in academic environment M eghna M arjadi Two blocks of clay and some soothing clas­ sical music welcomed members to the sculpture session held Thursday by McGill's Fine Arts Club.

By hosting monthly art sessions and planning trips to local art venues, the club provides an outlet for avid artists as well as stressed out students who have never picked up a paintbrush in their lives.

Combatting excessive stress is a necessary en­ deavour for all university students. If meditation or yoga is not your cup of tea, there is always art.

"Students at McGill don't really have much of a creative outlet,”says Agathe Streiff, the club's vice-president external. She claims that McGHI is "too academic sometimes."

With the pressure of exams, papers and pre­ sentations, art becomes a release of emotion as well as a form of individual self-expression. A few minutes with some sketch pens, some clay or even some cheap crayon may brighten up anyone's day. Remember kindergarten? Arts and crafts re­ ally were the highlight of our five-year-old lives.

The Fine Arts Club not only offers a source of

stress relief but also helps fill the gap left by McGill's lack of fine arts offerings. After all, the Faculty of Arts does not actually offer any "art" classes. With the exception of the renowned music program, one creative writing class and the hidden, enrollment restricted courses of­ fered by the Faculty of Education and the school of Architecture, there are no art classes avail­ able to students who want to master the craft.

With few options available to explore their-creative capacities, McGill students are forced to look outside the university, where a student bud­ get may be hard-pressed to cover many art ma­ terials or classes.

The Fine Arts Club solves that problem. A one-time $2 membership fee covers sessions as well as materials. Don't be fooled by the cheap price tag, the Fine Art's club will not just hand over a box of Crayola crayons and some con­ struction paper. The club has bigger ideas; this year there has been a sketching session in Parc Jeanne Mance, as well as a sculpture session in a member's apartment. The next session, sched­ uled for Dec. 2, will introduce recycled paper­ making (for all those environmental artists out there) and the executives hope to host H®' a silk painting session next semester.

Nervous about your art skills? Afraid that your stick figures may not suffice as true "art"? The Fine Arts Club values creativity above skill.

"You don't have to have [ar­ tistic] experience," says Felicia Kim, VP communications. In fact, mem­ bers come from all sorts of differ­ ent faculties, from Management to Engineering; you never know w ho you'll run into at a meeting.

If you love art but do not want to get your hands dirty, do not be discour­ aged. The club organizes free trips to local art venues as well. For example, the last art exploration was a "Gal­ lery Flop," i.e. a pub crawl for those w ho get drunk on artistic brilliance.

So indulge your artistic side! Go shape some emotion into a mass of clay or paint it onto a canvas. For all you know, you might be the next Picasso. ■ To co n ta c t the Fine A rts C lub fo r infor­ m a tio n on u p co m in g events, em ail

finearts@ssmu.mcgill.ca.

Stressed out from studying too hard? Don't scream! Pick up a paintbrush instead.

< U

English literature professor, Peter Gibian, finds h im se lf in a ra th er u n iq u e situa tion. A fter 15 yea rs o f tea ch in g 19th cen tury A m erica n Prose in a C a n a d ia n university, G ibian sh ares his in sig h t a b o u t M cG ill stud en ts, M o n trea l a n d the w o rld o f aca d em ia . With a love o f ca ts a n d BBC m o vie a d a p ta tio n s, Gibian's interests tra n scen d th e stu d y o f E d g a r A llen Poe.

The best part about being an English professor is...

The chance to discuss books and interpretations of different authors.... I like conversations.

Getting paid to do that is a luxury."

What do you read when you're travelling?

I read almost anything, all the time, including non-literary things. But often on a long trip, I do some of my best reading. ...There is something about being away from all obligations and commitments that makes reading more interesting. I will sometimes take a complex James or Woolf novel that I've never read, or I'll pick up a newspaper that people have left behind.

You can analyze anything, really.

How long have you lived in Canada?

About 1 5 years.

You earned your degrees in the States and taught there as well. How do Canadian students approach American literature differently from their American counterparts?

I remember thinking that, in Canada, much less is taken for granted. It really is seen as a very similar, but a n o th e r cultural tradition. [Canadian students] will refer to American writers as "they." In the US, it would involve taking a step back for a minute and think about what you're taking for granted, such as [asking] "how does it work? How does the whole ideology function?" Here [in Canada], people got that right away. I was kind of hoping for that, but I was surprised that it happened. The other surprise was that I expected that there would be more antagonism and hostility— a desire to avoid all things American. But there was a lot of interest. There's a kind of a fascination [with American literature] as something that should be analyzed, and with some detachment. It was a pleasant kind of culture shock.

What is the most unusual thing about Montreal?

It has an interesting multicultural nature. When you enter a store, people are proud of their ability to fly back and forth between two different languages. It is also a very youthful city and very oriented around university life— more so than any other city in North America. There is a particular kind of Montreal bohemian atmosphere. You can tell when someone is from Montreal when they are away from Montreal. It would be hard to imagine leaving Montreal.

Cats or dogs? Why? I like them both a lot. I have had cats recently, but I grew up as a child with dogs and cats in a large family. I haven't had the experience of living with dogs; dogs tie you down more, and I don't like that. I have solved that problem by being a long-term dog sitter for friends, so it's not my dog, so if I want to go away and travel for a long period of time, I can. With cats, I enjoy their incredible independence, and the fact that they have such incredibly complex, somewhat neurotic, multilevel personalities.

What is your favourite movie?

I have studied cinema after my undergraduate studies. I have a really promiscuous love of some very commercial things and some very experimental, avant-garde things. I like a lot of films that have been made out of novels. I really enjoyed Bleak House, the 1 2 -hour version on BBC. I don't like what are called "boy movies," anything that relies on special effects, or sensational action-adventure stuff. I guess I like "talking" movies. ■

—compiled by Rachel Melnik

* Notice how some of these events are, well, fake? Want to advertise in the Campus Calendar? For just a toonie you can advertise your event up to two weeks in advance. Email calendar@mcgilltribune.com for more information.

F EATURES

A M W O R K .n o

The undergraduate job search Part-time secu rity g uard and full-tim e stu d en t stru g g les to b alan ce w ork w ith acad em ics.

How can we pay off those loans and bills without exhausting ’ our (inner) resources?

E lizabeth P erle It makes sense that college stu­ dents are so closely associated with Kraft Dinner these days: currently at the Metro grocery store, the stuff costs ap­ proximately $1 per box. This means that about five boxes could feed a student for an entire week for less than $10.

"Most students live in poverty while they're attend­ ing university," says Elizabeth Carlyle, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students. And anyone who argues that stu­ dent loans are sufficient to cover the costs of tuition, rent, food and the occasional bottle of shampoo are in desper­ ate need of a reality check.

Even with the assistance of financial aid, most stu­ dents still struggle to make ends meet. Many attempt to balance one or more part-time jobs with their studies in order to get by— or, at least, to have a little pocket cash to spend on extra books (they swear).

"The administrative services at McGill have the repu­ tation of being rather disengaged with individual student interests," asserts Safiyya Dharrsi, U2 Biomedical Studies.

"So when it comes to private financial problems, many students find themselves unsure of where their options lie."

After Financial aid services, there are other places for students to turn to find help. While you'd be hard-pressed to find a student who is entirely unaware that there are a vast number of employment opportunities surrounding them both on and off campus, knowing where to look, or who to go to for information is easier said than done.

Study now, pay forever According to the Millennium Scholarship Founda­ tion, along with their degrees and diplomas, 59 per cent of Canadian university students graduated with debt this year. They carried an average debt load of $24,047.

Although Statistics Canada states that Quebec uni­ versity students pay the lowest tuition rates in the country and have access to the most generous grants programs, do not be fooled: student debt (currently averaging at $12,992 in Quebec) is still on the rise. Due to increasing student fees and limited scholarships at McGill, many students find themselves in a tough financial situation, including the large number of McGill's international stu­ dents, who fail to qualify for much of the provincial aid altogether.

The Work-Study Program (WSP) is McGill's main ser­ vice on campus aimed at helping students shoulder their financial burdens through facilitating on-campus employ­ ment. The program's resources, however, are not open to everyone: Students must fill out an application (found on Minerva under"Financial Aid") in order to participate. Only students who fit under a certain need-based umbrella— and maintain a 2.0 GPA— will be accepted and will receive automatic access to on-campus jobs that are set aside for the WSP members.

While not all students will make the "Work-Study cut" and therefore will not have access to its services to help them in their on-campus jo b hunt, this does not mean that all doors are closed to them.

"The Work-Study program is just a section of [the Stu­ dent Aid Office]," explains Colleen Dewey, administrative Coordinator at the Student Aid Office. Dewey stresses that the advisors and resources there are open to everyone that wants to use them.

Capping the flow There is also another option available, though most students are largely unaware of it: McGill's Career Place­ ment Services, more widely known as CAPS. While the program is focused primarily on helping students find post-graduate full-time employment op­ portunities, the office's advising services are not limited exclusively to this.

Catherine Stace, a Career Advisor at CAPS, explains that she"meet[s] with students on many different subjects.

It could be about their resume and cover letter, career ex­ ploration, job search techniques, mock med interviews."

The program's advisors see roughly 600 students per semester, the majority of which are from the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science.

"We also offer career development workshops," Stace adds. More importantly, CAPS posts flyers around bulletin boards in most major buildings on campus and runs a comprehensive Web site (http-y/caps.avant-garde. n et/caps/cg i-b in /in d ex.cfm ) to advertise job opportunities open to students. After a simple registration process, stu­ dents can log into the Web site and browse available jobs both on and off campus. Some examples include: bartending at Gerts, staffing at the Blue Mountain Ski Resort, acting as an administrative assistant at the Copy Center, working at a marketing firm and waitressing at Thompson house.

"I believe that McGill can greatly benefit from em­ ploying students [on campus], anyway," says Michelle Wu, U2 Management. "From a completely managerial perspective, students are usually part-time workers. Al­ though there is likely to be a high jo b turnover, since most students are only at school for four years, hiring part-time workers allows the university to save on costs incurred from medical benefits or insurance plans provided for full­ time workers."

Wu also points to the fact that many students leave Montreal during the four months of the summer term, and this could cause potential employers to feel reluctant to hire them. Considering these obstacles in scoring city em­ ployment as a student, she maintains that "it is McGill's re­ sponsibility to provide job opportunities to [its] students."

I say'hello,'you say'au revoir' Observably, the change in labour laws last year that allowed foreign students to finally gain employment in this city has increased the number of job opportunities available. But think twice before handing out your resume to every place that has a "Now Hiring" sign. Montreal may, indeed, be filled with a plethora of open part-time jobs, but scoring one of these positions is not as easy as it may initially appear for non-local students.

"You definitely need French skills if you plan on deal­ ing with the public,” admits Stace. Fluency in French, un­ fortunately, is simply not a skill that most international stu­ dents bring with them to McGill or will realistically be able

to acquire within their time here.This fact greatly limits the jobs that are available to them, and non-French speaking Canadian students, if it does not obstruct their chances completely.

Nina Fallon, Ui Humanistic Studies, is an American student studying at McGill. She is currently seeking em­ ployment off-campus, but is finding it difficult to attain even a minimum-wage job in Montreal's service industry.

"It is definitely an advantage to speak French. I want to take French over the summer simply to be able to work here," Fallon says. "There is a high demand for on-campus jobs. It's hard to find one. But I still want to work while I am [studying] here."

However, according to Stace, speaking French does not mean that you need to be able to hold a profound discussion of Baudelaire with your French Literature pro­ fessor. "There is no need for super amazing French skills,” she asserts. In Stace's eyes, working at Starbucks— a com ­ pany that often recruits university students— means sim­ ply learning how to speak "Starbucks French."

"It's coffee talk in French. It's not terribly difficult," she says.

Down the Rabbit Hole Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for many students to still find themselves in a grim financial situation even after the help of student loans and one or more part time jobs.There are various initiatives in the city of Montreal that work specifically to provide support for these struggling university students; the Yellow Door's "Food for Thought" [FFT] program is but one ofthem.This is essentially a food security service for McGill students, complete with a food bank and drop-in center.

The most popular aspect of the FFT program, how­ ever, is the "The Rabbit Hole Café" (3625 Aylmer), open for business every Friday from 1-4 p.m. This program serves free, vegetarian meals to any McGill student who drops by. Students are asked to give a $>$2 donation, but doing so is not mandatory.

"At this point in the year, on average we have about about 40 students join us at the Rabbit Hole Cafe every week, not including our volunteers, which makes a team of eight," explains the program coordinator, Joy Yanko.

The Food ForThought initiative claims that McGill has been especially inaccessible to people in lower income brackets. Though admitting that some financial aid is available, they argue that poverty among students tends to get less attention here than on other Canadian cam­ puses. Realistically speaking, food is often the only area where students can cut costs on a tight budget.

"As McGill [is percieved as] an Ivy League University, where many students come from affluent families, often people make the assumption and generalization that all McGill students have lots of money,"contends Yanko. "Case in point: that is not necessarily true."

Being a university student is an expensive job, espe­ cially in an expensive city such as Montreal. While there are services available to help students find employment and balance their funds,, unfortunately, they often require a little digging around to find, both on and off camps. Too bad shovels are so expensive.*

r

21.11.06 *The McGill Tribune • 11

. . . and some studen

Confessions of a brainy barista Balancing school with work J oanna R eznick

Financial situatio ns can be to u g h. Finding a jo b shouldn t have to be.

ree ride to the cheap side : jL§tudent spending without

burning a hole in vour wallet C larice C onnors Expensive is a swear word. Full p rice is a taboo utterance. For those of us who embrace this way of think­ ing, frugality is a lifestyle. We are students on a budget and somehow, our wallets are never full enough.

For some students,, bargain hunting has morphed into an art form. It is visible in every facet of everyday living— right down to the coffee you drink every morn­ ing. Every price tag of every item is questionable as far as saving money is concerned. Montreal, is a very studentoriented city that provides lots of deals for the moneylacking individual. Aside from the McGill campus, the city offers an array of crowd-pleasing menus and venues to satisfy even the stingiest among the student body.

To start off the day, one needs a good caffeine buzz.

Equipped with low cost café au lait and cappuccinos is The New York Bagel Café (located on Univeristy just below Sherbrooke). A toonie can get you a rich coffee and an elaborate breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon and toast totals less than $4. Similarly, Dusty's (located on Avenue du Parc and Avenue Mont-Royal) provides generous„.portions, coffee included, which taste as if mom made it just for you. You get a lot of food for very little— most items on the menu are under $8 , which may be why Dusty's is always chock full of students w ho consistently leave full and happy.

For lunch and dinner you can rest at ease and loosen your grip on the wallet. Places like Carlos and Pepe's (1420 Peel) offers different deals throughout the week. Sundays and Mondays boast $1 tacos and draft beer. "You cannot beat the cheap tacos and beer," claims Emily Bennett, U2 Geography and Philosophy. Tuesdays are known as Mar­ garita Nights, when the icey tequila concoctions go for

$3.99 and burritos are half price. Wednesdays benefit the ladies, with dollar drinks from 8 p.m. till close.

If venturing away from downtown is what suits your needs, then head to Euro Deli Batory (115 St. Viateur O.), where home-cooked Polish food makes you feel right at home. "It's cheap, it's convenient and it's good food," says Catherine Cote-Ostiguy, Ih French Literature. Prices range from $4.50 to $12.75 for meals and even less for soups.The M ontreal Gazette describes Euro Deli as giving the "feeling like you're wearing another layer - in the form of some added padding on the inside,"which is accurate.The Deli's good sized portions and hearty, guaranteed-to-keep-youwarm meals leave customers feeling like they have just tasted a bit of Poland.

For a taste of the province, travel to the Plateau for authentic Québécoise food at Le Binerie Mont -Royal (367 Mont-Royal E.). Meals range from $ 8 to $12 including finds such as hearty stews, beans and pork. This tiny eat­ ery will put a smile on your face without putting a hole in your pocket.

For a post-dinner fun excursion, head to the Old Port where you will find St. Paul's Pub (124 St. Paul). Plasma screens glowing with the night's games, accompanied by delicious yet cheap pub food make this spot a winner.

Matthew Bouchard, Ui Art History and local Montrealer, claims St. Paul's to be his "favourite watering hole in the Old Port. It has two floors with a great view. St. Paul's is perfect to get dinner, get drunk and stumble your way around the port and eventually maybe to the metro."

If you're especially daring, skip taking the metro and walk to these frugal student watering holes. Save plastic bags and recycle those bottles. Flang dry your clothing instead of machine drying. Eyeball only red or orange sale stickers. Go ahead, be cheap and save some money. Who knew it could be this good?*

The McGill philosophy is generally simple: "work hard, party hard." Flowever, the "work hard" part of the equation may overwhelm a number of students, both in and out of the classroom. To put it simply, college students have a lot of work to do. Besides attending lectures, slaving away on assignments and preparing for exams, many McGillians sacrifice their precious sleeping time for extracurricular activities, social lives and family commitments.

Yet for Emily Robinson, U2 Mathematics, the work doesn't end there. With two part-time jobs thrown into the university puzzle, Robinson struggles to juggle her priorities as a full-time student while striving to make ends meet. While taking five courses and working 20 hours a week may seem nearly impos­ sible, Robinson claims that the experience has been positive. "For me, somehow, everything just gets done," insists Robinson, in an energetic manner. "It's helpful to have a schedule, and my time is just so full, that I can't really stray from that. It helps stop me from procrastinating."

Last year, Emily began working at the McGill Café, located in the McGill bookstore, eventually procuring an additional job as a waitress at a cozy Italian restaurant called Amelio's.

"My job at Amelio's is quite low maintenance because it's such a small restaurant and doesn't have late hours," says Rob­ inson. "Because we don't have a busboy or hostess, we all work together, so it can be a busy environment."

The busy environment can make her life as a student a little more than difficult. At Amelio's, Robinson has a hard time obtain­ ing nights off when necessary, which often leaves her apprehen­ sive, especially when her academic priorities arise. Yet Robinson does not regret her decision to work two part-time jobs.

"I just want to maintain my happiness. I'm a lot more produc­ tive when i take [study] breaks."

If anything, her work just adds to her already vibrant univer­ sity experience. By working, she is able to pay for rent, groceries, bills and going out without depending on her parents. Emily's situation mirrors that of many McGill students, despite the com ­ mon misperception that the campus is brimming with creditcard wielding children of parents making upwards of seven fig­ ures a year.

She is also a good example of how working a part-time iob during university, while not ideal, is not an unmanageable endeavor. "Keeping a happy attitude is not as hard as it sounds," Emily maintains. " I don't want to say it's 'unfair'to have to work two jobs to be able to pay for school and living expenses, but I do think there should definitely be much better financial aid and scholarship options available at McGill."

Part time jobs can also give you a non-academic means of social networking, as Robinson will be the first to acknowledge. Additionally, they will keep you out of the house for a couple hours a week. Your

^oomnniate^^wiM^thiank^ouToritJIateic*^^^^^^^^^

T he cost o f books m akes so m estu d en ts w an t to sell th eir souls.

Student L iving S T U D E N TS A V IN G S

They might be rubbers, but they don't have to feel that way. Oooh Ooooooh!

The ultimate guide to buying the means to safe sex on campus L ukas B ergmark Sex is nice. Sa fe sex is even nicer. Before m a k ­ in g sw e e t sw e e t love, Features believes th a t it is im p o rta n t to take a m o m e n t to explore the w ide w orld o f co n d o m s. For research purp oses, o u r in­ trepid P h oto Ed ito r w as recruited to em b a rk on a m ission in to the d ep th s o f McGill's very o w n Sha g Shop. The fo llow in g are his p erso n a l reco m m en ­ da tio n s from its diverse inventory.

Early last week I strode into Shagshop next to McGill Student Health in the Brown building and grabbed a sample of their entire selection of prophylactics. Their condom reserve is divid­ ed into two categories, Western and Japanese.

The Japanese condoms sell six for $2.99 (about 50 cents a glove) and the domestics sell 12 for $2.99 (about a quarter a rubber).

The following results are based exclusively on traditional penile/vaginal intercourse (for feeling) and beat off testing (for strength). Sadly I did not have enough time to test these bad boys anally, were it my birthday maybe things would have been different.

T he Japan ese Condom s

A

I tested four of these foreign models. The manufacturer says that these suckers are 40 per cent thinner than their Western alternatives and even stronger. Bear in mind that these are all double the price of your basic Western brands. Let's see if they're worth it: Kim ono— Type-E: This con­ dom sounds more like a sports car than a contraceptive. True to its name, the condom comes with all the bells and whistles: patented "sensi-dots” (more commonly known as studs), ribs (for her pleasure) and a British racing green finish.

Like a sports car, the Type-E is rather small in size. It was pretty tight and thus awkward to put on. The "sensi-dots" and ribs really didn't do much for sensation either. I was told that the

condom felt scaly.

Kim ono— Aqua Lube: Despite the name,

I found this condom to be relatively dry, not an altogether good thing if you don't have a supplemental tube of lubricant on hand. Much like its cousin, the Type-E, the Aqua Lube was rather tight fitting. Tightness is pretty hip these days— think skinny jeans— so I'm going to infer that the Kimonos'cramped quarters are part of their designer fit. The sprayed-on quality of this condom is alright in the sense that once it's on, it won't budge. However, the last fact is over­ shadowed by how truly difficult this thing is to get on.

Crow n— Skin Less Skin: The name of this

soothing. If you're dead set on forking over the big bucks (50 cents) for a Japa­ nese-made jimmy hat, this one would be my choice.

W estern Condom s

I recommend all of these rubbers for fucking on a bud­ get because they're only 25 cents each. Great for the pov­ erty-stricken student who is re­ ally into group sex.

Lifestyles— Tuxedo: Sadly I lost this one before I got the opportunity to test it. Some-

"It's tike fucking with a plush , 18th-century King's robe on your pecker."

condom is really catchy if you're Hannibal Lecter.

The Crown has a weird pinkish hue that I think is an unsuccessful attempt to replicate the of flesh (creepy). All and all though, this was a pretty solid condom. It is very thin so it is hardly no­ ticeable.

B e y o n d Seven— Aloe En­ riched Lube: The

Beyond Seven was definitely the front-run­ ner in the Japanese category. The BS had a comfortable fit and its aloe-enriched lube felt

one told me that they call it "Tuxedo" because it feels extra smooth. I think that the very idea of dressing your dick in a tuxedo is hilar- i ous. Since the condom wrapper comes with.a window in the back, I was able to see that the condom is actually black in colour (just like a tuxedo).

D urex — XXL: I recommend using this condom to trick your part­ ner into thinking that you have a tremendous tube steak. I say “trick" because the Durex XXL is really not that much wider than nor­ mal, it's just way longer. All you have to do is not roll the thing down all the way and that's it, you're an instant pornstar.

Durex— Intense

the condom has studs and two, it feels like sandpaper.

Trojan— Ultra Thin: First off, does anyone else think that "Trojan" is an inappro­ priate name for a condom manufacturer? I can't think of anybody who would like to have a big wooden horse put inside of them only to have it explode into little soldiers that attack from the inside. Anyway... it turns out that this con­ dom really isn't that thin.

Durex— Love: Quite simply, I lo ved this condom. It had this really smooth, creamy feel that really added to the intimacy. I know creamy sounds gross, but using this rubber was a real joy. It's like fucking with a plush, i 8 ,h-century King's robe on your pecker. It reminded me a lot of the Beyond Seven Aloe Enriched Lube, but at half the price, the Love gets my personal en­ dorsement.

All of these Western brands also offer fla­ voured condoms. I tasted them all and conclud­ ed that they are all fucking nasty. They taste like the dental fluoride treatment that I used to get when I was in elementary school. It was dis­ gusting and so are these condoms. If you are just going to be hav­ ing sex with them, there should be no problem, how­ ever, if at all avoid­ able, don't put these in your mouth.

Sensation:

"Intense Sensation" means two things: one,

So if you've got the scrilla, go for the BS Aloe, 6 for $2.99 (tax included).

Otherwise, if your poor, I recommend getting 12 "Loves" for the same price. ■

F O O DF O R T H O U G H T T

Mousse-lini has never looked so good Add some delicious crepes and savour the post mid-term bliss R iva G o l d

Remember the delicious desserts your (great) grandparents used to spoil you with? Unfortunately, the Tribune can't bring back the dead— but it can offer you a delicious alternative to Kraft Dinner.

The "Just failed a French test and am compensating by making sweet, sweet Crepes" Crepes

4 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup water 1/2 tsp. salt (for the frugal, this can easily be scraped off BMH or RVC french fries) 1 cup flour 2 tbsp. melted butter It's time to put Math 133 to good use. Measure all ingredi­ ents and put them into whatever you're using as a blender. For a sweeter crepe, add 2 tsp. of sugar and a drop of vanilla. You could also add 2 tbsp. of melted chocolate. Blend for 30 seconds.

Scrape down the sides and blend for another 15 seconds. Cover your concoction and let it sit in the fridge for an hour.

Now here's the part where you look cool: Grease a saucepan and heat it by turning on the stove. Pour in a fist's-worth of batter and allow it to spread quickly and evenly across the pan (think pancake on Jenny Craig). Flip when it's solid, and remove it care­ fully from the pan when it's ready. As a general rule, the batter should not still be liquid. Makes 12 -14 crepes that go well with icing sugar, Nutella, fresh fruit or delicious Chocolate Mousselini.

A da pted from Sunbeam 's ‘Great Crepes," 1976 a n d Riva's French exch a n ge partner, A m andine.

Chocolate Mousse-lini

1/4 lb. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 3 eggs 1/8 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. confectioners'sugar (aka icing sugar) Liqueur (chocolate, Kahlua or Grand Marnier-optional) Vanilla (optional)

for about two minutes or until the chocolate melts and stir fre­ quently, For a twist, add a tsp. of vanilla or your favourite liqueur to the melted chocolate mixture. Add the butter and continue to stir until the butter melts and blends in thoroughly. This should take about 30 to 60 seconds.

Isolate one egg, placing the white in a large bowl and add­ ing the yolk to the chocolate. Quickly whisk in the yolk, fully incorporating it. Repeat with the other two eggs. Remove the bowl from over .the saucepan and let it cool until it's lukewarm.

Add the salt to the egg whites. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the whites until they form stiff peaks.

Beat in the confectioners' sugar. Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate, being careful not to deflate the whites.

Put the mixture into bowls and cover and refrigerate until very firm (think Paris Hilton, not Roseanne Barr).This should take 6 to 24 hours. Serve well chilled. Makes 4 servings. Keep to the far right of the table.

A d a p te d from W illiam s-Sonom a Savo rin g Series, Savoring

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it over (but not touching) barely simmering water in a saucepan. Heat

France, b y G eorgean e Brennan (Tim e-Life Books, 7999) a n d Riva's m other. ■

21.11.06 -The McGNITribune • 13

Feeling bored? Looking for pu rpo se and m eaning in you r life?

P O DP E O P L E F IC T IO N A LD IS C O U R S E

Chlamydia can sound catchy

OVE TO COLV WEATHER Songs of burning (and C onor G raham

W is for wind just like a whip I is for the ice on which I slip N is for the nose that I must blow T is for the taste of yellow snow E is for the eternal throngs of pink snow-suits R is for the rancid socks in soaking boots

S is for the sleds I get to ride U is for the'Uggs'I try to hide C is for the chills I have today K is for the kids I punt away S is for the sluts in faux-fur hats

B is for the boys in assless chaps A is for the ass on which you'll fall L is for the loathing of it all ! is for the lack of outdoor sex S is for the sperm count that it wrecks.

WRITE FOR FEATURES! M eeting: Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. @ Gert's Pub

itching) desire These sounds are contagious, but unfortunately, so is the theme of this iPod playlist. While Eric Clapton and AC/DC may not have had STDs in mind while writing their lyrics, they were certainly were not thinking of abstinence.

"Catch my disease," Ben Lee "Burn, baby, burn," Ash "(You give me) Fever," Buddy Guy "Love burns," Black Rebel Motorcycle Club "Dirty deeds, gone dirt cheap," AC/DC "Feels like fire," Carlos Santana feat. Dido "Ridin [dirty],"Chamillionaire “Source of infection,"Van Halen “Hide another mistake,"the 8 8 "Let it grow," Eric Clapton "Oldflame," Arcade Fire "Seen'Red," Unwritten Law "Infected," Bad Religion "I bet it stung,"Tegan and Sara "It's going down,"Yung Joe "Screaming infidelities," Dashboard Confessional "What it is to burn," Finch "She don't use jelly,"The Flaming Lips

Take your degree to a whole new level of s u c c e s s .

I n ju s t tw o se m e s te rs, le a rn th e m a rk e tin g c o n c e p ts a n d skills th a t d riv e su ccessfu l a n d g lo b a l b u sin ess.

Call 416-675-6622, ext. 3207 or email peter.madotK^humber.caJorfurther information.

Applyfor all Business School programs at the OCAS web site - www.ontariocolleges.ca

Seating is Limited! ftpP LV NO»M

HUMBER The Business School www.business.humber.ca

— co m p iled by Rachel M elnik

H O W T O ...

P ick u p M r. o r M s. 'R ig h t N ow ' One-liners used and abused Liz C ooper Ah, the pick-up line.There are so many that have be­ come the butt of so many jokes, one has to wonder if they even work anymore. Beyond the shy hello, what more can someone say without sounding creepy or over-eager?

Whether in a bar, in class or just walking around campus, how does someone successfully "pick up" a member of the opposite sex? You have to say enough so that they get the message, but not so much that if they say no, you feel like an idiot. What lines work and what lines should be taken off the market?

Overused or cheesy You have to be d a m n h ot to g et a positive response from these.

©I have only three months to live... © Do you believe in love at first site or should I walk by again? ©Excuse me, do you have your phone number? I seem to have lost mine. ©Have you always been this cute, or did you have to work at it? ©I'm sorry, I just got lost in your eyes... ©Do you mind if I stare at you up close instead of from across the room?

Take your degree to a whole new level of s u c c e s s .

W ith a c e rtific a te in P u b lic A d m in is tra tio n , y o u ’ll h av e th e sp ec ia liz ed m a n a g e m e n t skills y o u n e e d fo r

Inappropriate or Obscene Never use these, p le a s e ... unless y o u are really brave.

a d v a n c e d p o s itio n s in th e g o v e m m e n t/p u b lic sector.

©Want pizza and sex? (chances are the answer is no) What's wrong with pizza? ©I've had quite a bit to drink and you're beginning to look pretty good! ©I can make you feel beautiful. ©Didn't anyone tell you that you wanted to sleep with me? I thought you knew... ©Do you sleep on your stomach? (any answer) Can I? ©Can I see your tan lines? ©Is that a mirror in your pocket? Because I can see myself in your pants!

Cali 416-675-6622, ext. 3206 or email ted.gfenn@humber.ca for further information.

Applyfor ail Business School programs at the OCAS web site - www.ontariocolIeges.ca

Seating is Lim ited !^ ^ ^ ^ f E f liif c U .n l

(Q

HUMBER The Business School www.business.humber.ca

Decent or clever You are m o re likely to succeed u sing o n e o f these m odels, o r at least, g et a little laugh o u t o f the person.

©I'm sorry, were you talking to me? (No.) Well then, please start. ©Can I buy you a drink or do you just want the money? ©[Walk over to him/her] Ok, you can stand next to me, as long as you don't talk about it. ©You see my friend over there? [Point to friend who waves from afar] He/She wants to know ifYOU think I'M cute. ©Hey, aren't you forgetting something? [What?] Me! ©You w ill go home with me tonight. (A Jedi Mind trick, of course...) ■

rh e M c G ill 1

Remember, your advertising runs for 7 days in the McGill Tribune at a very low rate— book your space now The McGill Tribune is the most widely read student paper

Take your degree to a whole new level of s u c c e s s .

In o n ly tw o s e m e s te rs in M a rk e tin g M a n a g e m e n t, y o u c a n h a v e s o m e o f th e m o s t s o u g h t a lte r b u s in e s s skills.

Call 416-675-6622, ext. 3207 or email peter.tnadott@mmber.ca forfurther information.

Apply for all Business School programs at the OCAS website - www.ontariocoUegesxa

Seating is Limited! a p p l y

Novn

HUMBER The Business School www.business.humber.ca

A rts & E ntertainment F IL M

A new Bond is here Casino Royale isn't a gamble the young Bond while developing a tense relationship between him and Just as Rome wasn't built in a the quick-tongued Vesper.

Craig, taking over the role as day and Napoleon didn't conquer 007, portrayed his character better Europe in a week, so too, James Bond than Brosnan ever did. Craig loses the wasn't always a double - 0 agent with greased-back, borderline sleaze look a licence to kill. The latest Bond film, that defined Brosnan, in favour of a C asino Royale, which stars Daniel more Connery-esque smooth-haired Craig as Bond, features the man of in­ appearance that reminds viewers that ternational mystery in a hard-hitting, fast-paced action thriller that deliv­ the allure of Bond entails more than ers far more than expected given the just a well-chiseled face. He brings more talent to the screen, as well as conventions of its predecessors. a real British accent— another thing The film takes us back to the Brosnan lacked. Mads Mikkelsen plays origins of the stellar spy— back to Bond's nemesis, Le Chiffre and brings a time when his aim wasn't as per­ back the classic super-villain with fect, his judgm ent wasn't always as an evil tic— this time crying blood. clear and his safety wasn't so quickly Meanwhile, Green effortlessly chan­ thrown to the wind. The film lacks a nels Vesper Lynd, the stone-faced number of elements that detracted and witty accountant w ho resists from the quality of the most recent Bond's charm for the majority of the handful of Bond films, particularly film, despite having to pretend to be high-tech gadgets that come in at in love with him to avoid blowing the last minute and excessive visual their cover. effects. Instead, the film focuses on In terms of composition, the ac­ plot development, superb acting and tion sequences are spaced further dramatic tension to draw the viewer apart, allowing the viewer to take in in. However, rest assured, it wouldn't the overall quality of the acting and be a Bond movie without extended appreciate the fight scenes to a great­ fight sequences, death-defying ma­ er degree. Additionally, ratherthan re­ neuvers, smooth and witty puns, lying on big explosions, fast cars and henchmen that unload clips without automatic weapons, the chase scenes hitting anything and of course, beau­ involve actual chasing, 'death-defy­ tiful girls to be seduced. ing leaps, hand-to-hand combat and The central plot revolves around creative improvisation. Most notably, a high-stakes poker game in Mon­ the opening fight scene lands the tenegro hosted by the villainous Le characters atop a half-constructed Chiffre, who is seeking to regain his money from an earlier insider stock- skyscraper high above Madagascar, locked in a fistfight. Rather than fea­ market plot that Bond foiled. How­ turing expensive special effects, the ever, being the best poker player at scene focuses on the hesitance of the MI-6 , Bond is sent to the game along newly commissioned Bond to risk his with a lovely assistant from the British life in pursuit of a bomb maker, played Treasury, Vesper Lynd— played by the

by Sebastien Foucan, the champion French actress Eva Green. Tensions free runner and a master of obstacle run high throughout the extended maneouvering, known as parkçur. poker game, which is interspaced Overall, the quality acting, well with an intense fight scene where written script and willingness of the Bond is poisoned and nearly dies. directors to shift the film from special Overall, the film was much improved effects to back-to-basics action makes over the previous two Bond films, C asino Royale an excellent film. ■ choosing to focus on the naiveté of C

JOBLO.COM

Jam es Bond plays his cards like he plays his w o m en — slyly and w ith w it as dry a s a martini.

o le

R yan

P O PR H E T O R IC

K ick in 'O u t th e Jam s o over the past month or so, I've subjected myself to a new self-improvement program. No, I didn't quit smok­ ing or learn that the river of life flows out my third eye and we are all one with the Buddha. Nothing like that. What I did, see, is try to radically revise my musical diet. Armed with an open mind, some money I made over the summer that I really had nothing to spend on and the guidance of the gurus over at allm usicg u id e.com , I went out and kind of like Keith Richards at one of those Swiss blood-swap clinics, set about the deconstruction of my entire taste in music.

You see, I spent the "formative" years of my young life (that's high school) mulling around the Southern Ontario hardcore scene with wavering degrees of ambivalence.

Mostly, a lot of my friends were in screamo/thrash-core/brocore bands and, with nothing better to do, I'd spend school nights either getting half-drunk and trying to score My Chemical Handjobs at shows or sitting in my basement, try­ ing to force myself to like Eighteen Visions and Alexisonfire.

Whatever. It was high school. It was something to do. I also listened to a lot of classic rock radio and wallowed in the angst-laden comfort of "The Wall" and "Quadrophenia". Hey, what healthily-developing teenager didn't?

S

J ohn S emley

way too young and stupid to have appreciated years ago.

When I extricated myself to Montreal, my burgeoning After seeing the newly-reformed Dinosaur Jr. slay at Osheapassion for prog-rock and Frank Zappa, coupled with meet­ ga, I got pretty heavy into them too. And my appreciation for ing new people and spending countless nights burnt-out the Talking Heads (and pretty much anything David Byrne or in Rez, eventually (serëndipitously, perhaps) led me to the Brian Eno have ever touched) also escalated rapidly. music of Phish. Before long I was compulsively download­ But the bands aren't important. What is important is the ing live shows, getting into other"jam bands" (you know, the experience. Whenever you find yourself getting bored with Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, the String Cheese Inci­ dent) and by the time the smoke cleared two years later, I your taste in music (or movies or books or whatever else), change it! There's so much good shit out there and you just had little else to show for it than 40 different versions of'You Enjoy Myself? Now, don't get me wrong. I love this music. I have to approach it with the right attitude. No, you won't like everything (I wasted some money on some pretty stu­ love it the same way a mother loves a really good looking child. But come on, after listening to "New Potato Caboose" pid CDs) and you may look like a real asshole at times— piss­ ing off your roommates by trying to get them to listen to for the four thousandth time, you h a ve to begin questioning whatever you're getting into and name-dropping bands like yourself. some hipster moron— but it's worth it.

I. made a decision: I wasn't allowed to listen to any of the It's like Zappa said, "without music to decorate it, time music I was unhealthily obsessed with for an entire month. is nothing more than a bunch of boring production dead­ Though I knew I'd be jonesin' insatiably for a little "Mike's Song" or "Stinkfoot" like Keith Richards in detox (oh yeah, I lines and dates by which bills must be paid." Or, as Andrew love making Keith Richards jokes; mostly because his sus­ WK put it, "music is what cheers you up when your girlfriend sucksF'The point is: music rules and like anything else, if you tained existence defies logic), I made the sincerest efforts to define your tastes too narrowly, you might miss something restrain myself. I nurtured my budding interest in Sonic Youth and other noisy, exuberant, caterwauling rock bands that I'm wicked. ■

21.11.06 - The McGill Tribune • 15

T H E A T R E

Girl loses boy, boy loves girl, then boy meets girl?

Past and present McGill students fill cast

P review s

COMPILED BY CRYSTAL CHAN

Art. Toiles, until Nov. 25; Galarie Donald Browne d'art contempo­ rain (#524 -372 Ste-Catherine 0 .)The new Donald Browne art gal­ lery opened its doors this summer and its current exhibit, Toiles, features paintings by Christine Major and Jerome Bouchard.

Christine Major continues the portrayal of animals that her Montreal Museum of Fine Arts exhibit Vivarium started, with a new collection entitled Garden of Eden, in which she draws inspiration from figures as disparate as Emily Carr and Jane Goodall. Donald Browne is an active local artist known for his introspective and rather traditionally painted works. Call (514) 380-3221 for more information.

that elusive musical theatre triple-threat to luckily step into audition, the director stressed his value of high act­ ing quality over the other considerations of musicality and Staged in an intimate brick-walled theatre enclosed Theatre. TheS a tchm oS uite, Nov. 19 - Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. and matinees; dancing ability. by black iron balconies and urban fire escape ladders, and Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre at The Saidye Bronfman Centre for The result is a consistent presence of depth and ener­ starring a grand total of two performers, The Last Five Years the Arts (5170 Côte-Ste-Catherine). Bach and Armstrong intermin­ gy in the musical, the lack of which could easily have sunk is a far cry from the musical theatre that so often features gle in a rousing, fast-paced musical about a black symphony cellist can-can dancing girls, lavish sets and narrative dramatics. the premise of the two-header. It also meant some less struggling to infuse some inspiration into his performances. The than stellar vocal moments on Bender's part, whose sing­ Jason Robert Brown's catchy musical dissects a modern cellist gets help from an idol from a different musical world— none relationship through an inventive structure, in which the ing caliber was not quite up to that of his co-star. This was other than the ghost of Louis Armstrong. Jeremiah Sparks has got­ an endearing and worthy first try for the actor, though; female character, Cathy, tells the story backwards from the ten great reviews for taking on the formidable role of the ol' legend Satchmo The Last Five Years marks his first foray into stage singing. breakup and the male character, Jamie, employs the re­ himself. Originally opened in 1995, the show's current production premiered in verse strategy. There is only one duet in the musical, and He is actually quite a gifted singer, but the role of Jamie March 2005 in Dartmouth and on top of selling out, the show received stand­ in this two-person musical is extremely demanding both fittingly, it is in the marriage scene. ing ovations every night of its run. Now the show hits Montreal before a slated The musical is presented by indie-theatre company in range and magnitude. Bender attributes what he has national tour for the 2007-2008 theatre season. Student prices are $21, less than Pumpkin Theatre and directed by Joel Fishbane, whose learned to vocal coach and musical director of the show half of regular admission. Call (514) 739-7944 for tickets and more information. appreciation of the musical is evident when he explains Nick Burgess, an alumnus of the McGill music composition his repertoire choice, joking: "One day I set out to write a program. The fusion of music and acting is integral to the T P I I I Music. Swollen Members, Nov. 22 at 9 p.m.; Les Saints (30 Ste-Cathmusical, only to learn someone had already written the way the storyline is presented, Bender believes, "because tm j H I erine 0 .). The Juno-award winning rap outfit hits town tomorrow it brings about another level of emotion to a show when one I wanted to write!"

I P ? ® * night. The show follows the Sep. 12 release o f the group's fifth Lisa Rubin and Charles Bender star as two halves of there is music involved as well as acting." album, Black M agic, after a four-year hiatus. The new CD features Rubin's more perfected performance is built on a a doomed couple and both are quite such singles as "Put Me On," featuring Everlast. If you want to relive foundation of much greater experience, notably in terms strong actors. Acting skills were g|ory dayS of high school ghetto-fab wannabe, what better way of extreme importance of vocal performance, which she has studied since she to do it than to the music you blasted five years ago? Tickets cost $15. was a child.

It also coincides with Fishbane's directorial vi­ to Fishbane during the casting pro­ sion. The director attempted to elevate the role of Cathy to Film. Bobby, opens Nov. 24. A hodgepodge ensemble cast includcess. Since it be much stronger than the character of Jamie and to have ing Anthony Hopkins, Ashton Kutcher, Elijah Wood, Demi Moore, the plot and show truly revolve around and belong to her. is virtually Sharon Stone and William H. Macy— just to name a few— stars in impos­ Rubin's performance is fresh and she fully commands at­ this political drama that revolves around the stories of 22 guests tention.

Especially noteworthy is her rousing performance sible at the infamous Amfo r of "Climbing Uphill," in which her character, a struggling bobby bassador Hotel where actress, puts on a show for her endless string of auditions. <;enator anc| presiden­ The only shame was that her beautiful vocals were some­ tial candidate Robert F. Kennedy was S tu d y what broken at times by microphone malfunctions.

- A large part of the cast and crew are either current assasinated on June 6 ,1968. Former in E u r o p e McGill students or alumni, including four members of the brat packer Emilio Estevez attempts five-piece orchestra. Rubin herself is also a McGill gradu­ to pull a cinematic triple threat by ate, with a degree in Humanistic Studies and English, directing, writing and starring in the which she explains she chose so that she could enroll movie, in which he plays a failing w w w .n ie d ie a l-s c lio o l.c a in the two Dramatic performance classes that McGill entertainer act with Demi Moore, to whom he is romantically linked. had to offer at the time. ■ Estevez uses the film's structure to ca11ad111in@111edical-scl100I.ca The Last Five Years runs a t the Theatre Ste-Cath- comment on racial, sexual and class erin e (264 Ste-Catherine E.) u n til Nov. 25. Call (514) 9 3 t- issues at the time, which drew a lot of 5449 for tickets a n d m ore inform ation. Check o u t the attention at the Venice Film Festival this September.

Lisa Rubin and Charles Bender belt out songs of longing. p la y on Tuesdays, w hen tickets are two-for-one.

C rystal C han

MEDICINE

F O O D

Build-a-meal, Indian style Pain

CKDT

9 0

. 3 fm Radio McGill

A nnual G e n e e il M eeting

del'Inde: student-friendly fare K eren T ang

It might be easy for the anglophone to pass up the restaurant Bread of India if they do not look for its French translation— Pain de l'Inde. Its paint-chipped sign with faded letters fits right in with.its neighbors: dark, sketchy, run-down computer stores, antique shops and dépan­ neurs.

From the outside looking in, it reminds me of a hoo­ kah bar, with its dark, slightly reddish lighting, oriental beaded pillows and colourful mesh drapes.

Upon walking in through the tiny door and waiting in the crammed entrance space, your vision can encom­ pass the whole restaurant, which has a maximum capac­ ity of 50 people—and this only if everyone sits shoulder to shoulder. Endeavouring to make the most of its capacity, the restaurant makes its small space receptive for functions such as the Ashraya Initiative for Children dinner, a fund­ raiser organized by McGill students. At the very least, the packed room certainly makes a fine opportunity for some more intimate bonding experiences.

Worthy of mention is Pain de llnde's inexpensive and diverse menu—the dishes are easy to order and vegetarianfriendly. The meals are served in thalises, arranged on metal plates with different sized compartments apportioned to various foodstuffs. There are meat as well as vegetarian options—with a mere $2 price differential. Vegetarian tha­ lises are $6.95 and meat thalises are $8.95. The vegetable plate's signature item is the traditional kofta, a deep-fried mixture of lentils and an assortment of seasonings such as

coriander (no batter!); its rich mixture of spices surpass any meat servings on the plate. Although the food generally is greasier than homemade Indian food, it is still a delicious and satisfying meal, especially considering the price range, which is considerably easier on the pocketbook than at other Indian restaurants in the neighborhood.

What is most impressive most about this tiny and ob­ scure restaurant is not the food or the décor, but rather its student-friendliness. For one thing, the family-run business, which emits a cozy, homey feeling, makes ordering so much easier ("do you eat meat or not?", servers will ask), and paying a flat rate for all meat or vegetarian dishes relieves the stress nickle and diming at other restaurants presents.

Secondly, even though it is usually closed on Monday, it still opened its doors for the AIC fundraising, when other restaurant venues were less willing. "I support whatever helps India,"the amicable owner smiled through his beard when an AIC exec approached him about the event almost a year ago.

There's something to be said for the less elegant and fancy, for being moved by such simple words, and for the fact every customer at the function fell in love with Pain de l'Inde. Somehow, this little restaurant leaves a print on the mind. So get some good Indian beer, yummy nan bread, and travel to this laid-back place. It's the type of restaurant you didn't think could exist amidst the more flashy, faux classy establishments on the Main. ■ Pain de l'Inde is located at 2027 St-Laurent. C a ll514-9823724 for m o re infom ation.

6-1 Opm § T homs on House 3650 McTavish m

M E M B E R S OF C E C T A T T E N D A N C E I S H A K D A T O a T i n f o : 5 1 4 - 4 4 8 - 4 0 4 1 oa w w w . C E t i . c a

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The McGill Tribune

16 • Arts & Entertainment • 21.11.06

Reviews

COMPILED BY BEN LEMIEUX

JoJo - The H igh Road. People should immediately be alerted to the fact that there's something disastrously wrong with our culture when albums are released and marketed specifically towards pederasts. We're past the point where we can complain about skanky, scantily clad, boob-job bombshells selling double-platinum quantities of insubstantial, Godless albums solely on the basis of their looks. The battle to keep the Britneys and Beyonces far away from the music "industry" is over. Sadly, culture lost. This is a reality we have to live with. But JoJo is pushing the envelope one step further. She's 15-years-old and she ain't Shirley Temple, beyond which she's making suggestive, low-cut tank-top music videos at an age when some girls have not even had their first period. Granted, the aforementioned perverts would likely qualify a gal of JoJo's age as being "just ripe," but this young starlet's emotional inexperience is glaringly obvious on this, her sophomore effort. Her meditations on love— if we can pretend, for a moment, that there's some semblance of cognitive process involved in this album— in "LikeThat" involve a remarkably trite maze analogy, shift into jail-bait gear with "How to Touch a Girl" ("You'll go far in this world/ If you know howto touch a girl") and, rather ironically, the dance-funk"The Way You Do Me" contains the lyrics "We ain't even traded kisses/ But I'm feelin'so much fire in here", which are a let-down bound to make a molester's erection droop like an opium user's eyelids. The only people blissfully masturbating along to the tunes of The High R oad are Universal music execs.

Write for us. We're going places. Like, seriously.

Meetings are every Monday at 17:30 in Gert's (located in the basement of Shatner building). arts@mcgilltribune.com

T H E A T R E

Man! I feel like a woman A comic look at 17th-century gender roles is inadvertently responsible for introducing Nell Gwyn, played by Alexandra Vincent, into the world of theatre.

April De Angelis' Playhouse Creatures, directed by From here, the competition truly begins, as each of the Professor Sean Carney, is playing at Moyse Hall (Nov. 15- women vies for power at the risk of great destruction.

"Each and every one of them makes a very human 18, 22 -25 ). As character Dolly Common describes it, the mistake over the course of the play," explains Susan play is "all filth, smut and scandalous entertainment." A Spratt, who plays Mrs. Farley. Carney adds, "everybody contemporary play set in the 17th century, Playhouse goes through a change, everyone goes through a Creatures is a highly comedic drama that takes place shortly after King Charles II of England decreed that female roles transformation. ... If you think about all the characters, in theatre were to be played by women— an act fueled something happens to them. Things change and things get better. But sometimes things as much by his love of culture as by his love of decadence. "When I read this play, for the get worse while they're getting Exploring the lives of six women only time in my life I really better.... They get better for some people and not for others entrenched in the world of wanted to become a woman." theatre through comedy, witty — Fraser Dickson, and so it's both happy and sad time." dialogue and a gratuitous use actor who plays Rochester at theFarsame from being filled with of the phrase "turnip bullocks!", either mushy self-realization or feminist diatribes, the show Playhouse Creatures is both entertaining and relevant as it explores the perils of the stage, where the gutter is only primarily uses humour, both light and dark, to emphasize neither the politicized nor glorified struggle of social one missed cue away.

One of the most unique aspects of the play is that it is change, but the flesh-and-blood problems of women in a male-dominated world. As Fraser Dickson, who plays about creating parts for women— and it has six itself.

"There're lots of women actorsat McGill and whenever Rochester, says, "When I read this play, for the only time you do a play that's a Shakespeare play or something in my life I really wanted to become a woman.They're just like that you have two or three women's roles and eight so deep, so colourful and fun and when they hurt you're or nine or 10 men's roles. So you either cast women in really right there with them."

Full of tight drama, funny moments and intense men's parts, which is fine, or you find a play where you have a chance to actually cast women," Carney explains. characters, Playhouse Creatures entertains as it examines the effects of dramatic social change. "You'll laugh and "[Playhouse Creatures ] is all about the creation of a part laugh and laugh,"assures Spratt. that the women will want to play."

You'll also clap. ■ Katherine Folk-Sullivan plays Mrs. Betterton, one of the central characters who has been acting since Playhouse Creatures plays this W ednesday to Saturday, before it was legal for women to appear on stage. Filled n ightly a t 8 p.m. a t M oyse Hall. Tickets are $ 5 for students a n d with advice for the salacious younger actresses who are' inevitably preferred by bawdy audiences, Mrs. Betterton tw o-for-one tom orrow.

C arolyn Yates

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Saturday, N ovem ber 25, 8:00pm Église Saint-Enfant-Jésus 5037-39 St-D om inique (C orner St-Joseph) Tickets: $15 (Students $8) A vailable at the door or by reservation: megil 1 choral d g m ail. com

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S po rts HOCKEY— LAURIER 5, REDMEN 4 (OT)

McGill suffers crushing overtime loss P o w e r p la y s d o m in a t e g a m e a s t e a m s s t u g g le w ith n e w C harlie B lore Winning in the new NHL is all about special teams; it should come as a no surprise that the same is true of the new CIS. McGill scored four power play goals but also gave up four on Friday night in a 5-4 overtime loss in front of 512 fans at McConnell Arena. The Redmen dominated the game, outshooting their opponents from Wilfred Laurier University 45-28; the difference was that the Golden Hawks mustered a bit more offence out of their man advantages.

"We were happy with our power play but unfor­ tunately theirs did just as well, so it made for a tough game,"said Head Coach Martin Raymond.

Early lead slips away McGill got off to a quick start and they had their special teams to thank. Laurier took a couple of early penalties and the Redmen took advantage of the op­ portunities to get on the board first. In a period that the Redmen controlled from beginning to end— outshooting their opposition 19-7 in the frame, including a couple that went off the iron— Laurier was lucky to escape the first 20 minutes only down 2-1.

Mathieu Leclerc got the evening going for Mc­ Gill when he pounced on a loose puck in the slot just under four minutes into the match and snapped a quick shot past Laurier goalie Mike Thompson. Just over eight minutes later the Golden Hawks got into more penalty trouble, taking back-to-back infractions which gave the Red'n'White a five-on-three advantage for 1:24. The Redmen converted on the power play when Shawn Shewchuk— playing in his first game after serving a three-game suspension for talking back to a referee after a game—walked out from the corner unmolested and took a couple of whacks at the puck before jamming it in from four feet out.

"It feels real good to be back," Shewchuk said. "I wish we had a win instead of a loss but definitely al­ ways good to come back."

Laurier would cut the deficit in half with a power play goal of their own with just 1:40 left in the period.

With forward Teddy Kyres in the box for interference, Golden Hawks defenceman Rod Dmytruk fired a hard slap shot that found its way past a screened Mathieu Poitras.

The Golden Hawks went on to tie things up mid­ way through the second, only to see McGill add an­

r u le s

other shortly thereafter to wrestle the lead back. The Laurier goal came on the power play at 12:43 and was a carbon copy of the first marker, except that this time the shot was tipped in front by Chris Di Ubaldo. 19 sec­ onds later, McGill got a power play of their own and forward Sam Bloom converted to give the Redmen a 3-2 lead going into the third period.

"We had the lead a couple of times but just couldn't keep it," said forward Lucas Madill. "We kept getting ahead and they just kept coming back. We just have to learn how to finish off a little bit stronger."

A heartbreaking end Madill set up the Redmen's prettiest goal of the game just 54 seconds into the third when he dug a puck out of the corner and fired a hard pass to winger Eric L'Italien, who had been left all alone in front of the net.

But the pesky Laurier side just wouldn't go away.

The Hawks added a third goal just over five minutes into the period when Dmytruk fired home his second of the game on yet another seeing-eye shot from the point that found its way through a crowd in front of Poitras. Dmytruk would cap off the hat-trick and a fourpoint night with a missile to the top corner with just over 10 minùtes to play in regulation time.

The Redmen had a golden opportunity to put this game on ice with 30 seconds left as forward Guillaume Demers cut across the trolley tracks and got laid out by Laurier's Mark Voakes. Demers got a bloody nose and Voakes got two for elbowing.

Alas, McGill failed to capitalize on the man advan­ tage and the Golden Hawks' Nathan Peacock made them pay.Two minutes into overtime, he went in oneon-one and fired a harmless shot at net only to see it go off the McGill defender's stick and deflect through Poitras'legs.

"In a tight, high-scoring game like this, you have to bury all your chances," Madill said. "They were our biggest test because they're from the West Division.

They're big and strong and so they're a little different then the style that we play here. I still think we did an okay job tonight but we should beat that team."

The Redmen made up for the loss the following night by administering an 8-0 beat-down on Brock.

The McGill offence was lead by Kyres and forward Ben­ STEVEN CAMPBELL oit Arsenault who chipped in a couple of goals a piece.

The Redmen will be at home again next weekend to D efencem an David U rquhart gives Laurier's Chris Di U baldo th e ol'facew ash. host Waterloo and Western. ■

THIRD M AN IN

W e stand on guard in th e cold D a v id B lye ost sports junkies in this country feel that Sundays are a special day to watch their favourite team from south of the border. While I'm generally with them, every year I make one exception to my Sunday NFL rule; on the third Sunday in November, I hop on the CFL bandwagon and watch the finest football experience in North America: the Grey Cup. The finest football experience in North America. Yeah, I said it. Better than theVanierCup, better than the Rose Bowl, even better than the Super Bowl.

Now before everyone starts jumping on my back for making such a lofty statement, let me say that I watch all these other events too— it goes along with the whole "junkie" thing. But the whole experience of the Grey Cup is what puts it above the rest; the Super Bowl can't even hold a candle to it.

The biggest difference is the people that attend the game. At the Super Bowl, the NFL has a preset number of tickets that are allocated to each club. Five per cent of the tickets are given to "fans" in the host city, 35 per cent are split among the two conference champs, about 35 per cent are allocated to the remaining 29 teams and the final quarter of the tickets go to the NFL. And of course, none are put on

M

hold for the general public. Essentially, only the fans of the local team get a real chance to buy tickets off the bat— and even this is only about 3,700 seats at a venue like Superbowl XL host Dolphin Stadium— while fans of the teams not at­ tending receive less than 700 tickets. And at 600 bucks a pop for the "bad" seats, it's not as if just anyone can go. All this leads to a massive corporate presence at the Superbowl, with focus on which CEOs and A-list celebs are attending the game and not on the game itself.

With the Grey Cup, there are few tickets allocated to in­ dividual teams. They are bought almost entirely by the fans.

While some extra tickets are given to the home team, the remainder of the seats are open to the public. Rather than the suits, the actors and the very lucky, on Sunday night fans from Toronto, Calgary, Regina and Edmonton all descended on Winnipeg, regardless of the fact that their team wasn't playing. As a result, there's a remarkably different atmo­ sphere. Rather than the ultra-rich and the glitterati, the Grey Cup attracts the hardcore fans of the Canadian game. The South Beach and Sunset Boulevard crowd is replaced by the 17th Avenue and Portage and Main types who are just out to have a good time and attend Canada's biggest party. Rather than getting to the game maybe once in a lifetime, many

of these fans have been going to the Grey Cup for decades, regardless of whether or not their team is playing— or exists at all, in the case of Baltimore and Ottawa. Also, there's the fact that these fans relish that their game is not only played outdoors, but in -50-degree weather— bonus points for snow, wind or ice. I can only imagine seeing Paris Hilton at­ tempting to brave the"Frozen Tundra"of Lambeau field. And of course, the fans actually know who's playing and give a damn about the result.

Of course, there are other reasons that the Grey Cup is superior. The football game isn't hyped for two weeks on every major network or sports page— it is hyped for one week and not to the same extent. Then there is the actual football game. The NFL championship is typically one of the worst games of the season with the result often a forgone conclusion. Meanwhile, the Grey Cup is generally one of the more enteraining games of the year— Sunday night not withstanding.

But regardless of the hype and the game itself, the Grey Cup trumps the Superbowl for the same reason many feel the CFL beats the NFL. Regardless of the quality of product on the field, the passion of the fans in Canada just can't be beat. ■

The McGill Tribune

18 -Sports *21.11.06

IMAGES S H O O T IN G O U T THE LIGHTS

Taking it one cliché at a A dam H eller he game day interview with pro-athletes is always a marvel to watch. The athlete is swarmed by a horde of hungry re­ porters and stares back blankly, spitting out one-liners that seem to have little, if anything, to do with the game itself. If you look closely, you can almost see the cogs turning in their minds: "Should I go with 'we just gave it no per cent,' 'we just didn't have our game face on,' or 'we're taking it one game at a time.'"The warehouse of clichés that athletes seem to draw from at random is, to many, a sign of how feeble their minds are. Alas, this may not be the case.

Is it possible that the clichés, despite their overuse, are ac­ tually truisms? If they are, then game day interviews may shed some valuable light on the psychology of the pro-athlete. In that vein, observe some of the most popular sports clichés and what they tell us about pro-athletes.

T

"It’s gonna be a war o ut there."

In order to get themselves psyched up for the game, it is entirely possible, if not a certainty, that most athletes see their sport as a kind of apocalyptic battle between themselves and their opponents. It is obviously not going to be a war—though a soccer game has caused one. But beyond the dubious choice of nouns, it suggests that athletes mentally train themselves to flip a switch that provides them with the emotions and physical energy necessary to go to war. Athletes are in a sense able to be Clark Kent before the game and Superman during.

CLARICE CONNORS Power hitter A m y G raham unleashes th e fury on UPEI blockers. See exten ded brief on page 19.

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"I'm not going to point any fingers."

you w a n t to g et a h e a d a t a

This of course only works in ateam sport environment when someone screws up. For example, when Terrell Owens of the Dal­ las Cowboys dropped a pass in week nine that would have won the game for his team, someone could have singled him out for blame. Other players on the team probably wanted to, but they didn't. Why? Because the team is a machine and players view it as disruptive to get in the way of that. More than not wanting to call out a teammate, they are rather using athlete-speak to,reinforce team values.

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"We didn't get the jo b done."

This one is a little easier to analyze. Sports are, after all, a job for most athletes; it's a business and they are employees. They failed in what they were tasked with doing: winning. A game is a sort of mission (which ties into the "war" analogy) and failing to complete the mission, or job, disrupts the entire progressive and optimistic mentality of athletes. They should have won the game, but could not.

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"This team showed a lot o f character."

It is possible to believe that the team is a composite of the individual character of its members— sort of like the Power Rang­ ers in their Megazord. Athletes, it seems, universally define char­ acter the same way: playing hard, not giving up and standing up for one another. It is a cliché, but it is also something that every athlete strives for.

8

A re you th in k in g a b o u t th e n e x t academ ic y e a r y e t?

I f you lik e people and you a re in te re s te d in a ch allenging and re w a rd in g s tu d e n t le a d e rs h ip p o s itio n , w h y n o t apply to be a F lo o r F ellow , Don o r M O RE Fellow a t M c G ill R esidences? W a tc h f o r o u r ads in th is new spaper in J a n u a ry in v itin g a p p lic a tio n s f o r th e 2 0 0 7 -2 0 0 8 academ ic ye a r.

"It's th e playoffs, anything can happen."

The playoffs seem to be a sort of super-world where the past doesn't matter. In reality, it is clear that the past is relevant, but athletes have a unique ability to block that out when facing tremendously negative odds. Let's say the upstart Florida Pan­ thers sneak into the playoffs and are matched with the seem­ ingly unbeatable Buffalo Sabres in the first round. Ed Belfour isn't going to wave a white flag and break down in tears. He genuinely believes that anything can happen. Faith and high expectations are a huge part of the athletes' psyche. While it is also possible that this cliché is a cop out when failure seems imminent but not guaranteed, it is more likely that the "never say die" attitude of athletes is real.

From these select clichés, the psyche of the generic athlete takes shape. They are an accurate reflection of athletes both in how they view the world and how they act. Competitors are above all mentally prepared, focused on basic virtue dedicated to their mission, team players and intensely optimistic. These phras­ es are admittedly overused but for a good reason:They aren't just clichés, they are no per cent real. ■

www.mcgilltribune.com

21.11.06 • Sports • 19

Sports Briefs

Last C all

COMPILED BY CHARLIE B lORE AND AARON SlGAL

Martlets tops in figure-skating

STANDINGS Hockey (W)

W

L

T

OTL

p

Hockey (M)

W

L

T

OTL

p

Volleyball (M)

W

L

GW GL

McGill

6

0

0

0

12

McGill

8

1

1

1

18

Laval

8

1

25

6

16

Ottawa

4

3

0

0

8

UQTR

7

0

1

3

18

Montreal

6

3

20

15

12

Carleton

2

3

0

0

4

Ottawa

4

6

1

1

10

Sherbrooke

2

7

14

21

4

Concordia

O

5

0

1

1

Concordia

4

7

7

0

9

McGill

O

9

1

27

O

ON D ECK Redmen Hockey—Waterloo Warriors at McGill Redmen; Friday, 7 p.m„ McConnell Arena McGill enters the second week of what will no doubt be its most challenging portion of the season. The Redmen split a couple of big games this weekend, losing in overtime 5-4 to Laurier before blowing out Brock 8-0 a night later. Waterloo for their part is off to a good start at 9 -2 -1. If you can't make the Friday night tilt don't fret because the 6 -2 -1-2 Western Mustangs are in town on Saturday night at the same time and place.

Redmen and Martlets Track & Field— McGill Open; Saturday 1 p.m., Tomlinson Fieldhouse McGill kicks off its season at home with the annual McGill I invitational. It's the only event for the track and field team at Tomlinson Fieldhouse before January, so for anyone who | wants to see them live, now's your chance. The team finished towards the middle of the pack last year— 10th in the CIS. : They will look to improve on that result this year.

I J J Premiership Soccer— Chelsea at Manchester United; Sunday, 11 a.m., Old Trafford, Fox Sports Canada The two top teams in the Premiership will battle in 1 Manchester.The Red Devils have shown an inspired effort this year while Chelsea has failed to live up to the standard of perfection their fans have grown accustomed to in the last | two years.This game will be a chance for both teams to make | a statement. ' NCAA Football— Notre Dame at USC; Saturday, 8 p.m., Los Angeles Coliseum, ABC There are huge national championship implications in this one. If Southern Cal wins, it would have a strong shot at vaulting over Michigan and into second place in the Bowl Championship Series. Look for this one to go right down to the wire as it did last year when the Trojans needed a last second touchdown to secure the victory. Also, look for plenty of offence, as Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis are two of the great offensive coaching minds in football today.

BO X SC O R E Sunday, Nov. 19,2006 McGill Martlets 9 vs. Dalhousie Tigers 1 DALHOUSIE MEMORIAL ARENA SCORING SUMMARY FIRST PERIOD: 1. McGill: Vanessa Davidson (R. Martindale), 2:42 2 . McGill: Christine Hartnoll (V. Paquette, S. Denis), 4:24 3 . McGill: Alyssa Cecere (C. Hartnoll, V. Paquette), 19:31 SECOND PERIOD: 4 . McGill: Vanessa Davidson (G. Merrifield), 1:42 (PP) 5 . McGill: Catherine Ward (S. Denis), 3:47 (SH) 6 . McGill: Christine Hartnoll (C. Ward, S. Denis), 4:54 7 . McGill: Kate Elzinga (unassisted), 13:01 8 . McGill: Shauna Denis (C. Ward), 14:19

THIRD PERIOD: 9 . Dalhousie: Victoria Bitove (L. Merkley), 1:58 (PP) 10 . McGill: Vanessa Davidson (J. Sheehan, C. Ward), 8:08 (PP) GOALTENDERS: McGill: Charline Labonte (W, 13-1-2 ; IGA, 16 saves, 60 :00 ) Dalhousie: Kristen Ladouceur (start; L, 6 GA, 13 saves, 24 :54 ) Emelie Ederfors (3 GA, 23 saves, 35 :06 ) GOALS BY PERIOD TEAM 1 2 3 Total McGill: 3 5 1 - 9 Dal: 001-1

PENALTIES (No/Mins.)

McGill: 7/14 Dalhousie: 12/24 .

NFL Football— Chicago Bears at New England Patriots; Sunday, 4:15 p.m., Gillette Stadium, FOX Could this be a Super Bowl preview?The Patriots aren't quite the top team in the AFC but they should be right in the thick of things come January. The Bears, meanwhile, are looking like the top team in the NFC right now, though they've faced few real challenges from teams of the Patriots'caliber. This should be a measuring stick game for both sides.

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POWERPLAY (Goals/Chances) McGill: 2/12 Dalhousie: 1/7

SA CK O F TH E W EEK This Week's Winner: Shawn Crable— Linebacker, Michigan Wolverines It was a play that at the time seemed like it could be big and in retrospect, it absolutely was. Midway through the fourth quarter of this weekend's epic battle between Michi­ gan and Ohio State, Crable made a mistake that cost his team the game and possibly a shot at a national championship.

Ohio State was leading by four and had driven the ball deep into Wolverine territory. Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith was rolling out of the pocket on third and long, when he failed to find an open man downfield and was forced to throw the ball away. The result at that point should have been a field goal and a seven point lead. Instead Crable came flying in and nailed Smith with a helmet-to-helmet shot after he had un­ loaded the ball and stepped out of bounds. Crable was rightly flagged for the play, which in turn gave OSU a first down and kept the drive alive. They would go on to score a touchdown a few plays later. For those scoring at home that's a four point swing. Michigan would go on to lose the game by three points.

Does that mean Michigan would have won had Crable not committed that gross error in judgement? Maybe, maybe not, but vyhat is sure is that we'll never know.

Granted, it probably happened in a flash from where Cra­ ble was standing. But that's why they say "football is a game of inches."The line between good aggressive defence and stu­ pidity is razor thin. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, it often separates champions from the rest. ■

Kate McCall won a pair of gold medals and one silver as McGill finished first out of n teams at the OUA season-open­ ing figure skating competition in Kingston on Saturday. McGill scored 68 points to edge out the Western Ontario Mustangs by one point in team scoring. McCall won both the singles freeskate and solo dance routines. She also teamed up with Mallory Toner, second in the singles freeskate, to finish second in the similar pair freeskate.The Martlets also garnered gold in thedance variation with theduoofMagaliCharpentierand Amy Saucke-Lacelle. Other McGill medalists included Kelly Harris and Nina Foot who took the silver in a similar dance routineand Haley Ellis, whofinished second in the freeskate short program.

Redmen posterize Laval on the court Five different McGill players reached double figures as the Redmen surprised the CIS basketball world with a stun­ ning 69-57 upset over Laval in the QUBL regular season open­ er in Quebec City. The Rouge et Or had won 14 consecutive games over McGill, dating back to a 76-68 Redmen homecourt victory on Feb. 6,2003. Fielding a young line-up which included five rookies, the Redmen trailed 32-29 at halftime. By game's end, however, McGill had a huge 49-36 edge in re­ bounds and an 8-4 margin in steals en route to the win. Fresh­ man guard Matt Thornhill, scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Redmen, who have now won two straight games after dropping their first 11 pre-season contests.

Ward and Davidson drive num ber one Marlets past Dal Vanessa Davidson netted a hat-trick and rookie rear­ guard Catherine Ward added a shorthanded goal and three assists as top ranked McGill dominated Dalhousie 9-1 in non-conference women's hockey action at Halifax, N.S. on Sunday. The Martlets, who doubled St. Mary's 4-2 on Sat­ urday and tied St. F.X. 3-3 Friday, extended their undefeated streak to eight games in both conference and non-confer­ ence play. Christine Hartnoll tallied twice against SMU, in­ cluding the game-winner. The Martlets also had goals from Shauna Denis and rookies Alyssa Cecere and Kate Elzinga.

M artlets overpow er Panthers in QSSF-AUS tournam ent After thrashing Moncton and Cape Breton on Friday, Mc­ Gill was hoping to continue its dominance over the AUS when it took on UPEI on Saturday to continue the weekend tourna­ ment. The match with the Panthers showed that the Martlets volleyball team isn't always pleasant to its guests.

McGill proved too strong for the UPEI, besting them in straight sets by impressive scores of 25-11,25-18 and 25-20.

Power hitter Jennifer Thomson was pleased with the final results. "We've had a lot of ups and downs," she said. "We came in strongly and a lot of people were playing. We've had some pretty important victories over the tournament, some of them lasting up to five sets."

Thomson marked the first kill for McGill, setting a prece­ dent for her performance of the game. After the first time-out, the Martlets held a slight 8-6 lead. However, after the time-out the McGill team came out swinging. Thomson, the 2005-06 CIS rookie of the year, served three straight aces increasing the gap between the two teams.The Martlets quickly took control of the set, leading 16-7 after the sècond technical time out. The Panthers could not seem to catch up, giving the home team the first set, 25-11.

Both teams regrouped during the break leading into second set leading to a lively start. UPEI took a quick 5-0 lead forcing the Martlets to take a time out. The visitors made a number of line up changes in hopes of keeping up with the powerful McGill squad but were unable to come back in the second set, losing 25-18.

As the third set began, McGill players continued to feed from their momentum. But the Martlets looked a bit sloppy in the early stages, giving up a five straight points to the Pan­ thers. The squad from PEI was looking for a comeback, led

by Kayla Walsh, Erin Kinsman and Rebecca Gallant. However, McGill's Amy Graham put an end to the Panther's streak.

The Martlets began to hammer away at their lead, spray­ ing bullets on the UPEI court. Play went back and forth for the remainder of the match, leading finally to a 25-20 final score in the last set.

Head Coach Rachèle Béliveau was quite pleased with her team's performance "It was a little tense at the beginning but we played much better after that, using our momentum well," she said.

"We needed to adjust to a different tempo, but we got to play many other players. Each player played for a full set.”

The Martlets went on to seal the tournament on Sun­ day, defeating the New Brunswick Varsity Reds in four sets by scores of 25-17,25-23,23-25 and 25-23. They will conclude con­ ference play for 2006 next weekend when they take on Laval and UQTR. — M a tt C am pbell

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«.sonystyie.ca/cybershot • Future Shop * Best Buy * Sears * Staples » DUMOULIN * L.L. LOZEAU • CENTRALE AUDIO,-VIDEO • SIMON'S CAMERAS

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© Sony. Cyber-shot, and likemother are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. Cart Zeiss is a trademark of Carl Zeiss. Images are simulated. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. A.E.&0.E